Grow a Better Dallas (2024)

Bringing Godzilla Down to Size: The Art of Japanese Special Effects

A look at the unrecognized work of the talented artists and craftsmen who've maintained the tradition of Japanese special-effects. Highlighted is Yasuyuki Inoue along with various crew members who crafted meticulously detailed miniatures and risked life and limb as suit actors. All done to bring to life some of film's most iconic monsters through a distinct Japanese artform.

Oil Man

Jim Rodgers is in the world's oldest profession, doing business the 'old school' way. In fact, Jim likes everything old, except his women.

The Rooftop

High schooler You Cheng fumbles a hookup with Wen Ting, making him panic. To solve this issue, he spies on others, but Jing Hao’s nude shocks him.

Everyday Portabella

Plot unavailable

The North-Ming Fish

Short film from Taiwan.

Blues for Herold

A struggling young man secretly plays a magical trumpet that transports him from his desolate world into a colorful "bliss." When his younger brother discovers his secret, their relationship is put in jeopardy.

Plane Days

Old friends. Young friends. Lovers and loners. They all wait, hoping to see something they have never seen before. A Virgin? Thai? Singapore? Hopefully another one for the book. A flask of tea or bottle of wine to keep warm, and every day around the perimeter fence at Heathrow is a plane day.

Impersonator

Ilham’s friends submitted his photo into a worldwide Obama look alike contest and he won. Life changed quickly, with lots of invitations to speak all around Asia, and one big one – to the White House. In efforts to encourage a very reluctant Ilham to take on the persona, many people along the way have offered help. The Minister of Health gave him the suit he is wearing. He doesn’t remember who gave him this particular tie.

Blue Sky

Michael is a young teenager passionate about writing, a passion he carries on almost secretly because of his father. Agnes is deaf, but the words she cannot speak are compensated by her drawings which she hopes will get her to an art school. One day they find each other on top of a brick wall which becomes their sanctuary away from the world.

Ascenso

Plot unavailable

En passant

Andor is a young chess player, who even calls his pet turtle Kasparov. “Do you think I will succeed? - the boy asks her before the decisive tournament. "If I win, he will never come back." Who is Andor talking about and why is he either afraid of this return, or wants it?

The Bathtub

Ramon Riera is taking a well-deserved bath when his cell phone suddenly rings. On the other side of the line is Clara, a girl who insistently tries to sell him a life insurance.

Blank Canvas

A queer female artist struggles with her first major painting and its impending deadline. Concealing herself in her cluttered bedsit, she begins to experience hallucinations which she ultimately decides to use to her advantage.

More So-called Caryatids

A super short film to accompany the earlier documentary of the same name. A photoplay of various caryatids to be found in Paris.

Obhyesh

Somewhere in North Kolkata, OBHYESH is an unfurling of a 28 years old boy's life, through his struggle to fall asleep during a whole night. The boy seems to be terribly tired and tries hard to get some sleep but various thoughts perpetually come and go keeping him awake where rest is dreamlike and comes to him eventually at dawn.

Debut

Ivan has just scored a goal and rushes to kiss Marko.

The Last Pizza

On his final delivery of the day, a carefree pizza delivery guy arrives at an unfamiliar, desolate apartment building, only to find the customer absent. Curiosity leads him to explore the rooftop, where he becomes trapped as night falls and the winter chill sets in. With minimal supplies and a dying phone, he must fight to survive.

Shake Hands with Danger

This short cautionary training film examines dangers associated with earthmoving equipment operation, showing many simulated accidents on construction sites.

Trapped

A highschool janitor runs through a series of dangerous obstacles.

Learning English

An enthusiastic new arrival to the US seizes an unorthodox opportunity to practice her language skills.

The Cosmic Hoax: An Exposé

This documentary is Dr. Steven Greer’s answer to the current government and media disinformation campaign promoting 3 big lies: 1. We do not know what these UAPs/ UFOs are. WE DO. 2. Humans cannot make craft that can maneuver like UFOs. WE CAN and WE DO. 3. The UFOs are a threat. THEY ARE NOT.

Reckless

An uncompromising and controversial short set in the Scandinavian suburbia on the hottest day of the summer. A sister reluctantly babysits her little brother. Two young boys catch her attention, and she makes a crucial decision.

A Slice of Lynch

David Lynch, Mädchen Amick, Kyle MacLachlan and John Wentworth reminisce about "Twin Peaks" while seated at a diner counter.

Days, Months, Years and Nothing Else

This short film, built around a randomly chosen name and composed of scenes shot within a single room over the course of three hours, features an introspective monologue that was shaped and adapted during the editing process. The narrative aligns closely with the emotional tone and visual rhythm of the piece, particularly in harmony with the non-original music selection, Maggot Brain by Funkadelic.

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

First Bite

Eve is a girl full of emotions trapped by the world around her, longing to break free. Then she meets Jake and her world begins to open up around her leading her down a seemingly dangerous path of self-discovery.

We Collide

A queercore romance - a visceral and immersive exploration of the power of the mosh pit and finding love in the most unlikely of places.

Underwater

A susceptible teenager, in trying to escape the tumult of his home, drowns himself in alcohol, drugs, and parties. Based on a true story.

Purple Dictatorship

Yeda, the green-faced woman, sells homemade bread to support the house where she lives with her sick husband. Through the context of green-faced people, we know the reality of those who live on the fringes of a purple-faced society.

Sitara: Let Girls Dream

Pari, a 14-year-old girl, dreams of becoming a pilot while growing up in a society that doesn’t allow her to dream.

Pond, Fish

Qingyan Yu confronts confusion and self-identity problems as she gets to the point where romance starts to take place in her adolescence.

Jungle

A young woman awakens to find herself in the midst of a living nightmare.

Lacuna

As she struggles to finish her short film, a first-time filmmaker travels through her memory bank in search of inspiration.

Liyana

A talented group of orphaned children in Swaziland create a fictional heroine and send her on a dangerous quest.

Chicken

Mick and Kev, teen Irish lads, are at the shore, throwing rocks at empty cans, drinking cider. Mick's the pushy one, engaging Kev in a game of mumbly peg, his hand on top of Kev's, fingers splayed. As Mick moves the knife between their fingers, a train is heard approaching. What's Mick's purpose?

He

A story told in four parts, "He" explores the swell of poetic love and the breathless aftermath of its heartache.

Aska

Two young sisters take on the dangerous task of feeding their mother's sacred ashes to the Fire Serpent before it brings death to their desolate land.

That Which Once Was

In 2032 an eight-year old boy, displaced by global warming, fends for himself as an environmental refugee in a hostile northern metropolis. Haunted by memories of flooding that left him homeless and orphaned, the boy forms an unexpected friendship with an Inuk ice carver who helps him confront his past.

Sugar

After a defeating first year of college, a young woman enlists the help of a friend to participate in a baking competition, only to find fulfillment in unexpected ways.

Half a Life

After a traumatic encounter, a young gay Egyptian joins the LGBT rights movement. When his safety is jeopardized, he must choose whether to stay in the country he loves or seek asylum elsewhere as a refugee. "Half a Life" is a timely story of activism and hope, set in the increasingly dangerous, oppressive, and unstable social climate of Egypt today.

Under an Arctic Sky

Six fearless surfers travel to the north coast of Iceland to ride waves unlike anything they've ever experienced, captured with high-tech cameras.

Fire On The Mountain

From the mind of Chris Benchetler comes TGR's latest short film collaboration. Improvisation is the silver thread that weaves this crew together. Just as the Grateful Dead did not fit their music into an established category, this short film finds a cast of some of the world’s best athletes on a spontaneous journey of skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and music, complete with a soundtrack comprised of only Grateful Dead music.

Deep Down

Deep Down redraws a descent into hell of a stripper called America, lost in the very depths of the U.S, taken away by a devastating love-story.

Passenger

In this anime-inspired film, a vengeful spirit tries to possess Cora's body, but over time they form a dysfunctional relationship.