Contemplative Stories
Saturday, October 5 – 1:00pm – UNCSA ACE Theatre Complex
Runtime: 99 minutes
In the Closet
Directed and written by Vannah Smalley
USA / English / Narrative Short / 20 min.
Quinn, while cleaning out their childhood closet, reflects on the keepsakes they associate with their gender identity struggle. We watch, from the closet, a series of flashbacks that results in their decision to identify as trans and achieve that gender euphoria they’ve been searching for.
*First-Time Filmmaker / Student Film – University of Alabama
Twenty-Nine Again
Directed by Alex McFry / Written by Alex McFry & Alex Engel
USA / English / Narrative Short / 14 min.
In the early hours of the morning after ringing in his birthday, shy-boy Harrison attempts to find a moment of peace in his backyard . . . until his high-energy sister Frankie shows up for an early birthday surprise.
Lifeline
Directed by Shaun Heard-Mckoy & Edwin Walker / Written by Shaun Heard-Mckoy & Shannon Clark
USA / English / Narrative Short / 14 min.
Marcus has lived life with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it all comes crashing down when he terrifyingly contemplates suicide in a game of Russian roulette. Content warning: This film depicts discussions of suicide and suicidal ideation.
Jeanne
Directed and written by Léo Holderbaum
France / French / Narrative Short / 30 min.
Jeanne, a 22-year-old woman, recounts her life in a letter to her parents. On the path to accepting her trans identity, she will meet Franck, a seemingly xenophobic man, whose confidante she will unwillingly become. Content warning: This film includes an implied death by suicide.
Right Here
Directed by Zachary Smith / Written by Zachary Smith & N’yomi Stewart
USA / English / Narrative Short / 21 min.
As their lives intertwine, a trans woman and a drug dealer discover that blood doesn’t mean family; it’s where you feel loved.