shorts Collection:
Beyond a single story
Saturday october 24, 2026
11:00 aM - 1:15 PM
Explore the diversity of our individual experiences, reminding us that no single story defines a community. By sharing these stories, we can learn from one another, and build connection and understanding across all audiences.
Temporary Detective
As an elderly woman stalks her daughter along the streets of Los Angeles' Chinatown, a pastiche of LA noir becomes a darker reality.
Hemi waits at home for her son Hari visiting from college. Since childhood, Hari was expected to attend medical school—a promise made between him and his mother. Unbeknownst to his parents, Hari has squandered his time at university. When Hari is driven home from the police station, Hemi reveals a devastating truth: his father, Jong, is terminally ill—a secret she kept to avoid distracting Hari from his studies.
Selfless
Rose and Cole, two former lovers, reunite unexpectedly at a New Year’s house party and must confront their unresolved regrets as nostalgia resurfaces.
Past showing: LA Shorts International Film Festival | Official Selection | 2026
All the Time
You could’ve been a nurse
You Could've Been a Nurse begins with a family crisis: 76-year old Cely learns she has only days to live. This is not altogether surprising for Cely nor her daughter Gwen, who’s been caring for her in hospice. As Gwen and her brother Terry confront the reality of losing their mother, a new crisis surfaces—the heartbreaking mismatch between Gwen and Cely’s expectations.
Perm and Circumstance
Inspired by his idol and wanting to impress the teacher he is crushing on, 13-year-old Juan Po gets a DIY perm done by his father. Now he must survive an entire day at school with a mangled ‘fro.
Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen
Embark on a story of survival with JANM’s film screening of The Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen. Told with poise, humor, and strength, this documentary chronicles the Forrest Gump life of spirited 92-year-old June Aochi Berk. Growing up in prewar Little Tokyo, she goes from surviving in a horse stall at the Santa Anita temporary detention center and in a barrack at the Rohwer concentration camp during World War II to being crowned Nisei Week Queen in Los Angeles.
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie
Charlie can't shake her fear of flying, despite her father once being a pilot himself. When she walks into his old flight school looking for closure, she meets Malcolm, a reluctant flight instructor carrying a history of his own. Through their lessons, Charlie finds the courage she's been seeking to finally take flight.
FORWARD is a cinematic music video exploring mental health, self sacrifice, forgiveness, and the strength it takes to keep moving forward. The film has won multiple awards and honors from the Global Music Awards, Indie Short Fest, Independent Shorts Awards, and Heart of Europe International Season Film Festival.
FORWARD
Two Questions and A Wish
Yama, the Hindu god of the Dead, ferries people across the mortal plane to their final destination, but when she picks up a mysterious passenger named Dev, her night takes a turn.
Q&A Panel
Moderator: Ellina Yin
Ellina Yin is a first-gen Cambodian American social practice artist, activist, and entrepreneur who works at the intersection of art, technology, and lawmaking to reimagine the future of civic participation in local government. Ellina is the Founder & CEO of Only in San José (OSJ) a civic education and media organization transforming the City of San José’s practice of civic engagement by providing the people of San José with the knowledge, skills, resources, and confidence to create the change they wish to see in their communities.
Perm and Circumstance
Associate Director: Maria Victoria Ponce
Maria Victoria Ponce is a writer/director born in her grandmother's dirt-floored kitchen in rural Michoacan, Mexico. Ponce’s work navigates the complexities in the routine lives within poor and working-class neighborhoods: themes of immigration, sexuality and coming of age tend to recur.
FORWARD
Director: Chad Rivera
Chad Rivera is a CHamoru filmmaker, cinematographer, musician, and hair and makeup artist from Guam, now based in Los Angeles. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Chad brings together his Pacific Islander heritage and background in film, music, and beauty to tell stories that are honest, emotional, and visually driven. With over a decade of experience as a professional hair and makeup artist and a degree in cinematography from the Los Angeles Film School, his work is rooted in authentic representation and meaningful storytelling.
Jaymar Cabebe is a Filipino-American producer, writer, and creative based in Long Beach, California. His work spans nearly two decades across media, comedy, publishing, and storytelling. As co-founder of the sketch comedy group Touchblue, he helped popularize Filipino sketch comedy online. He is the co-founder of Rocketships & Wonderment, where he and his partner Dianne work to amplify the stories and experiences of Filipino and Filipino American communities.
YOU COULD’VE BEEN A NURSE
Producer: Jaymar Cabebe
Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen
Director: Evan Kodani
Evan Kodani has filmed and edited a multitude of productions, including the Emmy award-winning ARTBOUND episode Masters of Modern Design in collaboration with PBS SoCal. He is currently the Manager of the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum.
Selfless
Writer/Director: Jason Hyun Kim
Jason Hyun Kim is a writer, director, producer and editor based in New York City. Carrying an entrepreneurial outlook, he has produced, directed, shot and edited narrative short films as well as directly managing clients, projects and campaigns through my production company House Productions LLC. He is also staff commercial editor at the world’s largest advertising company Omnicom in their Studio.
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie
Writer/Producer/Actress: Mirabel Miscala
Mirabel Miscala is a Filipino-American actress, dancer, and filmmaker based in San Jose, California. Her latest and most personal project, Alpha Bravo Charlie, was shot at the same airport location inspired by real moments from her childhood, and marks her professional debut as a screenwriter. Mirabel has the honor of teaching and coaching aspiring actors at a local acting studio in her hometown, helping students find their creative joy through on-camera storytelling.
Suhashini Krishnan is a filmmaker recognized by the Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and Slamdance, among several others. Her works have been optioned and developed by various studios and production companies, as well as screened at film festivals across the country. She is a 2023 Black List Feature Resident and Women in Film Fellow, and the recipient of the 2024 Black List x GM Writer Driven Shorts grant. In 2025, she was selected as a recipient of CAPE's Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge grant.
Two Questions and a Wish
Writer/Director/Producer: Suhashini Krishnan
*Times, films, and guests are subject to change without notice.*