Austin's Independent Short Film Festival - Austin Shortsfest
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Saturday, 8/15 at Eastside Cinema
Austin Shortsfest
SHORTS 1- BLUE BLOCK- 1PM SATURDAY AUGUST 15
The Blue Block features 10 films about people facing defining moments in their lives. Exploring themes of family, identity, grief, illness, and resilience, these stories find meaning in life's quiet struggles and enduring connections. Together, they offer an intimate portrait of the experiences that shape who we become.
94 min. total run time
2026 Austin Shortsfest August 15-16 at Eastside Cinema
Sense of Play
Director Caitlin Rigney
Narrative Short, USA, 6 mins
Set in Restoration(ish) Era England, two sisters decompress after a rather boring ball. Directed by Caitlin Rigney, and written and produced by first-time filmmaker, Aly Jones, "Sense of Play" explores sisterhood, grief, identity, and the intimacy of silence.
Round II
Directors Vincent Robert Rosas
Narrative Short, USA, 5 min.
On the verge of a breakup, a couple's simmering tensions erupt into accusations of betrayal, forcing them to confront not just their trust issues-but the absurd reality behind a misunderstood secret.
I Wanted To Hear Your Voice
Director James Pellerito
Documentary Short, USA 12 min.
After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving.
Sun's Up
Director Lisa Dreher
Narrative Short, USA, 3 min.
On a trek from the bar to their Uber, two tipsy women grapple with boredom and the future of their friendship.
The Four Silences
Director Lisa Kori
Documentary Short, USA, 6 min
An Asian-American musician searches for her missing musical roots.
Route 76
Director Erin Mohler
Narrative Short, USA, 8 min.
Two strangers meet on a city bus and share a brief, intimate connection that forever transforms how they remember that day.
Lost
Director Andrew Gallerani
Narrative Short, USA, 11 min.
On an early Fall day, a man ventures alone into the ancient and untamed woods of the Pacific Northwest. Lost in thought yet driven by an urgent sense of purpose, he seems to be on some kind of mission. But what? Day blends into night and back again as he plunges deeper into the dense wilderness. As his determination intensifies we are left to wonder what secret is he hiding, until the truth is finally revealed.
Wonderful World with Clint Townsend
Director Michael Dean Marbach
Documentary Short, USA, 13 min.
Wonderful World follows Clint, a man whose body is being taken from him by one of the most unforgiving diseases known and yet whose spirit refuses to follow. From the shock of diagnosis to the daily reality of living with ALS, Clint's story is carried by the people around him: family and friends who show up, again and again, in ways that matter.
The film builds to something remarkable; a recording session where Clint, removed from his ventilator, joins his loved ones and the cast of the national touring production of The Great Gatsby to sing What a Wonderful World. It is, against all odds, exactly that.
Otilia
Director Ana Gonzalez
in Narrative Short, Mexico, 14 min.
In a rural Indigenous community, a 12-year-old girl faces an arranged marriage that will determine the course of her life. Silent and observant, Otilia navigates loyalty, fear, and the quiet pressure of tradition as she is forced to confront a future chosen for her.
Love, from Ellie
Director Chantelle James
Drama Short, USA, 16 min.
A precocious 9-year-old girl visits her veteran dad’s memorial on his birthday, dragging along her unhoused uncle as her only chaperone. But when unforeseen circumstances get in the way of her plans, she’s forced to confront the messy truths of grief, family, and what it really means to say goodbye.