We’ve finally reached the end of the year, and while that is bittersweet, it’s wonderful to remember all of the incredible films we’ve gotten to watch this year. From these screenings to our spotlight films and, of course, the immense and stunning HollyShorts Film Festival, there’s been hundreds of talented filmmakers whose work has gone on to entertain and impact us in so many ways. Thankfully, we’re not quite done yet, as this month marks the final entries of 2025. But that in no way means that these films are any less special and impactful as the others, as the multitude of submissions for this month are all unique and powerful in their own ways. So as we say goodbye to 2025, let’s welcome these final films, all of whom can be seen either in person on December 17th at the LOOK! Dine-In Cinemas in Glendale, California, (with tickets available for Block 1 at 7:30 pm and Block 2 at 9 pm) or throughout the weekend after the screening on BitPix.
Do No Harm – This Easterseals Disability Challenge film in a fun, short thriller that stars Fay Kanevsky (who is both the lead and one of the writers of the film, alongside Liz Galalis, Aiden Keltner and Mary Tamura) and Henry Hetz. Directed by Keltner, the film sees Heather (Kanevsky) as a woman with a disability who is out on a date with Matt (Hetz), a doctor who thinks they just met and made a connection. That turns out to not be the case, as while Matt doesn’t remember Heather, she sure remembers him, her medical issues at least partially something he is responsible for. It’s a film that does a lot with a little time, and the only qualm with it is that there isn’t more, as the story is one that is very engaging. A great job to the whole cast and crew for really grabbing the viewer in only a few short minutes.
Connextion – Jannica Olin writes, directs and stars in this film, alongside Faizan Sheikh. It focuses on the connections between people, Hope and Asim, who meet when Asim breaks into Hope’s hotel room, gun in hand, presumably looking to rob Hope. When it’s revealed through a physical conflict that Hope is terminally ill, it takes Asim by surprise, his own history with illness and the death of his wife causing an unlikely connection between the two. It’s a beautiful short film that shows that with a bit of common ground, even the unlikeliest of people can bridge the gap and find something to relate to.
Is That A Mirage? – Emma Galbraith and Asante Blackk star in this dystopian surrealist film that sees Juniper (Galbraith) traversing the scarred landscape on a journey to help cure her family from “The Sprayings”, a mysterious event that has left her and her family woefully ill. Accompanied by only the Thickberry she’s using to trade, and Lump, the talking tumor attached to her body, she goes through the wastes and finds herself on a journey through odd hallucinations; a bus stop sign that appears and talks to her and a vision of herself in a bathtub the most prevalent. It’s visually fascinating and narratively eccentric, but utterly enthralling as we watch Juniper attempt to find her purpose, fighting against this version of the world, illness, and her own wild visions.
Self-Portrait – Samuel DeFrank’s horror thriller stars Annie Abbott and Sophia Del Rio, and is a wild and gripping film that sees Louise (Del Rio), an aspiring model get a unique opportunity to do some work with Henry and Melinda Beaumont (Rick Deats and Abbott), famous for their work in the field of photography and a job unlike anything Louise has ever been given before. What follows is a strange, dark and terrifying sequence of events that sees the Beaumonts have very ulterior motives, using Louise’s youth and beauty for something other than as a model, and instead as something to suit their own selfish ends. It’s a fantastic concept, bringing vanity and the willingness to endure eccentricities in artists for the sake of their brilliance, which can open you up to danger. Annie Abbott was especially frightening, her calm and sweet demeanor as an older woman giving way to darkness being especially thrilling.
Tough Cookie – Kofi Tendai brings this screening a hard, challenging film that sees Cookie (Daniella Oachman), a young mother whose prostitution and possession of a firearms charges land her in jail, looking to rebuild after her time in prison and get custody of her daughter back. While she attempts to begin again, she spends much of her time on the streets, seeing Princess (Tarryn Thomas) following a path that could lead the younger girl into a similar fate. Seeing Princess, once an honor student like her, falling in with a group of girls who are looking to run their own street crew, Cookie makes a brash decision to prevent the girl from suffering as she had, confronting her in an attempt to make Princess stop neglecting her own daughter and avoid losing her, as Cookie had her own child. It’s a hard hitting film that is excellently acted, with Oachman especially really delivering on a powerful performance.
Hole – Carson Lane’s dark comedic film stars David Pasquesi, and is truly a film that will knock you upside the head with a concept that comes so far out of left field that it’s all you can do not to burst out in laughter. A man (Pasquesi) stands in front of a piece at an art gallery, and when the artist (Lane) asks their feelings, what comes is an unexpected and wild story of the downfall of his life thanks to this piece, each moment of it getting more brutal and dark, until the reveal of the true meaning of the piece. This is a film that will leave you enthralled, horrified and then suddenly in loud, barking laughter, the juxtaposition too stark to ignore.
Lemon – Beth Curry’s heartbreaking film about illness and perseverance is buoyed by Egypt Brooks, who plays young Lemon, an energetic and imaginative young girl whose life is narrowed down to what’s in her mind, and in her home, as her agoraphobic mother Pip (Britney Young) won’t let her go outside, claiming the world out there is bad enough to kill you. When the indoors proves to not be enough protection and dies suddenly, Lemon has to brave the outside world to find her father, who her mother claimed left the house and never returned.
Civil Service – Tiffany Kimmel’s surrealist dystopian film is an unsettling and uncomfortable piece that focuses on the nightmare that is civil bureaucracy. It stars Eric Toms, who plays Stephan Blythe, a single and unstable civil servant whose entire job is to approve or deny assistance for families, mostly single mothers. Thanks to his emotional disorders and a strained relationship with his dead mother (who he still hears in his mind), Stephan isn’t exactly sympathetic for the most part, leading to an unjust government system solely on the shoulders of a man whose social skills are lacking, to say the least. Marlyn Mason plays the voice of his mother, who torments Stephan during his workday, leading the film to be as unhinged as he is, and wildly fascinating to watch. Toms is a force in this film, really laying on the instability in ways that are hard to look at but also impossible to look away from.
Night Rain On Barren Land – Melody Mehryan’s somber film about a young woman struggling on her own after the death of her mother is an emotionally powerful piece that seems to focus on loss, rebuilding in the face of that loss, and the ways in which we push those closest to us away, despite needing them, because they remind us of those no longer there, and who you might feel you’ve let down. Yasmeen Fletcher is terrific in this, leading the charge in a film that has a lot of weight to it and carrying it well. Her portrayal of Alina is complex, empathetic and feels very heartfelt, lending a lot of credibility to the emotional burden of the film. Joining Fletcher in smaller, but still vital roles are Arianna Evangelina, Chloe Cohen and Jordyn Rolling, all of whom play characters that seem to have a big impact on, and care for, the well-being of Alina. It’s a very heavy film, but one that keeps you watching and really feeling for the characters involved.
Comets – Amy Roy’s film about an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking, showing visually the way the disease can trick and manipulate the mind into forgetting or reverting in a way that is unique and powerful. Nan (Guerrin Gardner) is suffering from the effects of Alzheimer’s, her mind forgetting or even refusing to acknowledge the way her memories either work, or fail to. Asking to go home daily, Nan struggles with the new environment of the nursing home she’s now living in, until a familiar face from her past seems to trigger something in her. Without revealing too much of the plot, it’s a film that does a wonderful job of really showing how debilitating this disease can be, and how it can affect not only those suffering, but those around them as well. The choice to use a younger version on Nan in Gardner, the version she sees herself as, is a brilliant choice, and really does a great job of visualizing that mental state. Also starring Robert Craighead, Bart McCarthy and Ali Hill, Comets is a very bittersweet film. But it has moments of true joy, combined with deep sadness, making it a complex but terrific film.
Will To Power – Anna Gabriela De Mendonca’s documentary about Ruzbeh, a man whose circumstances have had to change dramatically over the course of his life. Iranian by birth, Ruzbeh immigrated to Ukraine years before, finding a home there until the Russian invasion broke out, forcing him to relocate once again. Now finding himself (along with his wife) in Germany, Ruzbeh turns to powerlifting as a way to focus, using it to find both inner and outer strength as he adapts to life in an unfamiliar place, hoping once again to not have to start over. The ability for Ruzbeh and his spouse to carry on, despite the circumstances, is inspiring, leaving a message of strength and hope for all that watch it.
The Trophy King – Tighe Boudreaux-Kellner delivers on a very silly heist film that is more comedy of errors than actual robbery. Trip (Sean Bridgers) has a plan: to rob the trophy store to get the money he owes to a man very willing to use violence to prove a point in getting what’s his. The store owner, Joe, (Ray Iannicelli), is a kindly older man who seems to like Trip quite a bit, unknowing to the greater plans in place. Trip’s brilliant idea is to use Maurice (Max Casella), an associate of his to commit the robbery while Trip is still working, pushing the potential blame off of him for masterminding the whole thing. It’s only when Maurice and Ruthy (Jeanine Serralles) put their own plan in place that things go off the rails and into absurdity. It’s ridiculous and fun, giving a bit of levity into the heist genre, with small town criminal idiocy being fertile ground for both comedy and the kind of drama that crime films provide.
Unfaithful! – Seri DeYoung’s film (co-written with Otha Cole) about a reality cheating show gone awry is a wild and ridiculous journey that follows the shows host, Shaun Johnson (Ronald Auguste), as he navigates yet another sting operation to expose a cheating partner. This episode’s subject, Mark (Jack Fleischer), is concerned that the spark in his relationship with girlfriend Ashely (Alexa Sutherland) is gone, and he presumes her unfaithfulness. Through the show and despite the protests of crew member Charli (Aimee McGuire), we see the case unravel, and behind the scenes, Shaun’s life reflect the fake reality he’s showing on television. It’s an interesting concept, showing a fake version of a show pretending to be real, giving it a layered and interesting viewpoint.
To Hell With You – Jason Sheedy’s film is a fun and a bit silly story about demon possession, the space between heaven and hell, and the dynamic between angels and demons. Brendan (Andrew Bourne) was possessed by a demon and killed while possessed, leaving his soul in a bit of limbo. He was a good kid, but being possessed isn’t great, making it a bit of a gray area, and one that demon Doyle (Brett Brooks) and angel Esme (Erin Ownbey) have a bit of a quarrel over. It’s funny, a bit ridiculous, and a great take on the concept of the afterlife that is sure to leave viewers laughing.
Silent Echoes – Katie O’Grady’s thriller is a tough watch, but also an incredibly engaging one. Tate (Stella Allen) is a child who witnessed the death of their mother, who seems to have been brutally killed in the middle of the forest. Unable to deal with it, Tate represses the memory, getting medial help as she lives with her aunt Lina (Emily Rued). The doctor assisting her (Dylan Kenin as Dr. Reynolds) is not all he seems, leading to a terrifying confrontation that will change the lives of Lina and Tate forever. It’s a wonderfully paced film that is complimented by the performances of the cast, leading to a tense and gripping film.
Take Me Back – Rowan Robinson and Teddy Jay star in this Emily McNey film that sees Ella (Robinson) confiding in a friend after the end of a very impactful relationship with her ex, Liam (Jay). Despite her retelling, we see Ella’s experience differ from her words, her friend’s obvious disagreement with the treatment she received from Liam causing her to change her story, even as she remembers the truth. It’s a story of messy, young love, bad decisions, and an attempt to save face, leading both Ella and Liam, but especially Ella, to deal with the fallout of her own choices and what they mean for her both going forward, and as a person. It’s a touching but challenging film that is sure to leave the audience satisfied.
Butterfly On A Wheel – A beautiful and empowering film by Trevor Morris, it focuses on Jacen (Curran Walters), an extremely talented musician who struggles with OCD. While at school, he meets Sorell (Brielle Robillard), a fellow music student who falls for Jacen and his talent immediately, only to see the struggles he faces firsthand. Jacen goes through a tough but necessary journey, supported by both Sorrel and his brother Dylan (Michael Provost), tracking the path for Jacen to debut the piece he’s been working on in public, despite his fears of doing so. It’s uplifting and heartwarming, showing the power and strength of those who deal with mental illness and struggle with showing who they are, despite the fear of judgement that can come with it.
The Theory Of Spice – Presented by the Yogi Foundation, this films tracks the journey of three major spices; cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, as we watch both the people and the places that they reside go through what it takes to bring the plant from the ground and to our homes. Directed by Gilly Barnes, the film is an exceptional look at the history of these three spices from their dark past to the present day, and those who help bring them to the world.
That’ll do it for us this month, and for 2025! A big thank you and congratulations to all of our filmmakers this month for the chance to share their work with us all. We’ll see you all next time for the start of another year of incredible films!
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