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.
Q&A line up coming soon
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 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.
You could’ve been a nurse
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.
Perm and Circumstance
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
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.