Vertically Gifted (2022)

Feats of Herkules

Animated actors and vases tell stories from Greek mythology. Part of a 100-film international project on the theme of world culture. (Robert Donn)

Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?

A newly arrived guest of a Hollywood hotel charms and amazes the regulars, and they decide to invite him to their Christmas dinner.

Dinner for One

A very old woman wants to have dinner with her friends. As they are all dead, the butler has to play the role of every guest.

Kinetic

Two brothers try to save their family business by literally catching lightning in a bottle.

22 vs. Earth

Set before the events of ‘Soul’, 22 refuses to go to Earth, enlisting a gang of 5 new souls in attempt of rebellion. However, 22’s subversive plot leads to a surprising revelation about the meaning of life.

Fish Out of Water

Fish Out of Water manages to unfurl its light-hearted tale of young man and the sea, without a word of dialogue. Avoiding the morning traffic jams, our man (Nick Dunbar) finds peace by rowing each day to work in the city. But when a seductive blonde unexpectedly enters the picture, he finds his morning boat ride heading in unexpected directions. Directed by Lala Rolls (Land of My Ancestors), Fish Out of Water was invited to play in the 2005 NZ Film Festival, plus another 10 overseas fests. Victoria Kelly composes the brass and banjo-inflected soundtrack.

Automatic

Two young women convince each other they are under threat after accidentally photographing what they believe to be a concealed automatic rifle. Shot in drawn-out, static takes, Emma Doxiadi’s comical mystery comments on Greece’s ongoing refugee crisis in real time, pointing squarely at foolish knee-jerk reactions.

Gay Jesus

Once upon a time in a cheap Jerusalem hotel room, Jesus and Judas are spending their time away from Nazareth between hot, sweaty, carnal love and preparing sermons for Jesus' growing fanbase. Enter Mary Magdalene, jealousy, Satan, and the Romans, and the once-perfect love affair between Judas and Jesus becomes a hellish ring of fire, leading Judas to betray his beloved Christ and the Romans to punish everyone for trying to turn everyone gay.

Dead Bait

Lisa is fried in the heat of the sun. She is sick, miserable and out of water, but finds a lake to cool down in. A local sports-fisherman spies on her, but when Lisa drowns, he is stuck with a blond, naked "dead bait". What to do then?

The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper

During the holiday season, when the animals of the Central Park Zoo are preparing for Christmas, Private, the youngest of the penguins notices that the Polar Bear is all alone. Assured that nobody should have to spend Christmas alone, Private goes into the city for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Along the way, he gets stuffed into a stocking

Girl Night Stand

Katie doesn’t usually sleep with women, but that’s about to change.

King Lavra

A king hides an embarrassing secret - and it causes him to execute every barber who cuts his hair.

Dante's Lunch

Every dog has his day, but poor Dante can't seem to catch a break.

Audit

A young actor and his wife undergoing an IRS audit have more to worry about than the usual cheating when the IRS secretary turns out to be hot for the wife and the auditor turns out to be an ex-trick of the actor.

Second to None

Frederick Butterfield has always been runner up to his twin brother Herman. When Herman, the older by a mere minute, becomes the world's oldest man, Frederick finally sees an opportunity to be first place.

Einstein-Rosen

Summer of 1982. Teo claims he has found a wormhole. His brother Óscar does not believe him - at least not for now.

Minions: 3 Mini-Movie Collection

The Minions are back along with some new friends in three hilariously fun short films: Competition, Cro Minion, and Binky Nelson Unpacified.

Antoine and Colette

Now aged 17, Antoine Doinel works in a factory which makes records. At a music concert, he meets a girl his own age, Colette, and falls in love with her. Later, Antoine goes to extraordinary lengths to please his new girlfriend and her parents, but Colette still only regards him as a casual friend. First segment of “Love at Twenty” (1962).

Why Does God Hate Me?

A coming-of-age comedy about a 14-year-old boy whose best friend tries to 'cure' him of being gay.

Spring

Amanda struggles to keep something inside as she spends the day taking pictures of her best friend.

Blindsided

Blind man and apple pie connoisseur Walter Cookeventures to his neighborhood corner store to buy milk and apples. When mafia thugs try to shake down the storeowner, Walter shows them what a blind martial artist is capable of!

After-School Special

A man and a woman have an awkward encounter at an indoor playground.

The Rink

After amusements working in a restaurant, a waiter uses his lunch break to go roller skating.

The Pawnshop

A pawnbroker's assistant deals with his grumpy boss, his annoying co-worker and some eccentric customers as he flirts with the pawnbroker's daughter, until a perfidious crook with bad intentions arrives at the pawnshop.

The Count

A tailor's apprentice burns Count Broko's clothes while ironing them and the tailor fires him. Later, the tailor discovers a note explaining that the count cannot attend a dance party, so he dresses as such to take his place; but the apprentice has also gone to the mansion where the party is celebrated and bumps into the tailor in disguise…

The Artificial Humors

Using a mix of Hollywood aesthetics with documentary strategies, the film follows a young indigenous girl from the Xingu National Park to São Paulo, where she falls in love with a robot that also happens to be a stand-up comedian. This strange story mixes the anthropology of humor, indigenous communities, and artificial intelligence.

Passenger

A traffic light. A red signal. A masked guy jumps into the car of a young man. He points a pistol at the driver and shouts: “Go!”. The guy has a bag full of money. When the driver looks around at him, the robber points the pistol at him, and the car gets involved in an accident. After a stop on the roadside a small child starts to cry on the back seat.

Good Cop, Baby Cop

A man is who has shot people is being beat up by a baby cop named Angel

The Devil's Harmony

A bullied teenage girl leads a glee club on a trail of destruction against her high school enemies.

Gay Camp

In a world where most of the population is gay, children who exhibit 'straight' tendencies are sent to camps in order to convert them back to a natural homosexual lifestyle. Camp Sohomo will convert your child in record time.

Michael's Run

Michael is minding is own business, until a run in with the local gang prompts a chase he'll never forget...

Altered Innocence Vol. 1

A vibrant anthology of LGBTQ+ short films and music videos that delve into the complexities of youth, identity, and desire. This diverse collection showcases a range of cinematic voices—both emerging and established—exploring the exhilaration, vulnerability, and confusion of coming-of-age through stories that celebrate queer love, self-discovery, and the breaking of societal boundaries. Blending narrative shorts, experimental visuals, and music-driven pieces, the anthology offers an evocative, multifaceted portrait of innocence transformed.

Halloween Party

Eight-minute promotional reel for Night of the Demons (1988), which was shown to potential distributors in 1987. This short version of the film was later re-released by Shout! Factory in 2023 to coincide with their new 4K restoration.

An Engagement of Convenience

A man fakes an engagement to a typist to please his rich aunt.

A Regular Thing

Love has a price in this quirky sex comedy. Sten is a 30- year-old librarian. Over a book he meets supersexy Katja, the woman of his dreams, and they soon end up in bed together. It's love at first sight, but the next thing he knows, Katja wants money every time they make love. Otherwise their relationship will become trivial, she says. Reluctantly Sten agrees, but then Katja puts up the price.

Psychicken

A thief who is burglarizing gets surprised by the host and commits a brutal murder. He runs away but realizes that something is following him.