Synopsis:
Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life.

Director’s Biography:
Shirin Sohani, 09.08.1986, Tehran, Iran
After completing an M.A. in animation directing (Tehran University of Art) she started her professional career in 2012 and has worked as a concept artist, background artist, scriptwriter & production manager. IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS is her first professional film. Her graduation animation, THE FAN (2014) won both national & international awards.

Hossein Molayemi, 23.08.1982, Shiraz, Iran
After completing an M.A. in animation directing (Tehran University of Art) he started his professional career in 2004. His work includes Directing, character design, storyboard artist, animator, and university lecturer. IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS is his second professional film. His first film, RUN ROSTAM RUN (2017) was selected at Annecy, Warsaw, and several other Oscar-qualifying film festivals and won national & international awards. He is a board member of Asifa Iran & Animation Filmmakers Guild of Iran.

Synopsis:
The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. But he’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day he goes out in search of new marbles, but ends up buying a bag of colorful, marble-shaped candies instead. But the first time he pops one of them into his mouth, he’s astonished to hear his old sofa start talking to him! For the next few minutes, until the candy melts away, he has the most unexpected and amazing conversation of his life. Realizing that these are no ordinary candies, Dong- Dong looks at the rest of colorful sweets. Who else will he be able to talk to, and what else will he learn, through these magic candies?

Director’s Biography: Born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1959, Daisuke Nishio joined Toei Animation in 1981 and debuted with the TV series DR. SLUMP -ARALE-. His representative works as a series director include DRAGON BALL Z, GE-GE-GE NO KITARO 4, and YOUNG KINDAICHI’S CASE BOOK. In 2004, he launched PRETTY CURE, a long-running series that has continued for over 20 years. He is highly regarded for his remarkable talent in capturing dynamic actions grounded in martial arts. He has also showcased his versatile talent by directing a variety of genres such as AIRMASTER, INTERSTELLA 5555, and HALO LEGENDS– ODD ONE OUT.

Synopsis:
Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are three tiny humans who star in a kids’ TV Series called WANDER TO WONDER. After the creator dies, they are left alone in the studio. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans.

Director’s Biography: Nina Gantz is a Dutch London-based Animation Director. After graduating at the St. Joost Art School in Breda, Gantz began a Masters in directing animation at the National Film and Television School where she completed her student film EDMOND in 2015. EDMOND has received 38 awards including the BIFA for best short film, the Best Short
Animation award at Sundance and a BAFTA for Best Animated Short. Gantz has been freelancing on a variety of projects and she is signed to London production company Blink Ink. WANDER TO WONDER is her first independent stop-motion animation. Currently she is developing two feature length films.

Synopsis: ANUJA tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide.

Director’s Biography: ADAM J. GRAVES (Writer/Director) is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker, who holds a B.A. in South Asian studies and a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Religion from the University of Pennsylvania. Adam is author of THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF REVELATION and a professor of philosophy at MSU Denver, where he teaches film & philosophy. He has lectured in over a dozen countries on the nature of freedom, agency and narrative identity, themes which figure prominently in his films and screenplays. Adam wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film CYCLE VÉRITÉ (2021) and produced and edited the documentary short THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN (2024). He is married to the acclaimed visual artist Suchitra Mattai (producer of ANUJA).

Synopsis: After repeatedly failing Captcha tests, music producer Lara spirals into obsession, haunted by the disturbing question of whether she might actually be a robot.

Synopsis: When young Litha is introduced to the magic of a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, they are ambushed by poachers. In the ensuing battle to save the rhinos, Litha discovers a terrible secret.

Director’s Biography: South African director, Cindy Lee, was inspired to tell the story of THE LAST RANGER – a film about women game rangers protecting rhinos during the pandemic – because it highlights the vital role women play in wildlife conservation within their communities.

THE LAST RANGER is part of an anthology series exploring human resilience amid the cultural and social upheaval of the pandemic, called WHEN THE WORLD STOPPED. This powerful drama weaves together 24 perspectives from 24 communities, reflecting the shared challenges of that unprecedented time. These interconnected stories form a cohesive, cinematic journey around the world.

Through our nonprofit, Kindred Films, we collaborate with charities aligned with our films’ themes to raise awareness and support their causes. We also work with educators to screen these films in classrooms, inspiring young people to advocate for the causes they care about.

THE LAST RANGER is currently being used by the ARCC, Global Conservation Force, and WESSA to support anti-poaching, wildlife conservation, and education in South Africa.

To donate or learn more about Kindreds’ mission, visit kindredfilms.org.

Synopsis: The latest documentary short film, from MTV Documentary Films, I AM READY, WARDEN, by acclaimed filmmaker Smriti Mundhra (INDIAN MATCHMAKING, ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN) tells the harrowing and emotionally charged story of John Henry Ramirez, a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas. Through his time on death row, the
film offers a rare and intimate glimpse into his attempts to seek redemption and reconciliation. To gain access to the Texas prison system, Mundhra collaborated with journalist Keri Blakinger, whose New York Times Magazine article THE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS PLAYERS OF DEATH ROW was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

The film was released on November 22, 2024, and can be found on Paramount+.

Director’s Biography: Smriti Mundhra is a DGA-winning, Academy Award-nominated and three-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Recently, Smriti created and directed Netflix’s THE ROMANTICS, a four-part documentary series about the history of Bollywood, featuring interviews and footage from 35 of its biggest stars. Additionally, her 2019 documentary short ST. LOUIS
SUPERMAN was nominated for an Oscar and tells the story of a battle rapper-turned-Congressman lobbying for gun rights. It was supported by Judd Apatow, Brad Pitt, and Mark Ruffalo and sold in a multi-studio bidding war to MTV Documentary Films. Smriti is also the creator, director, and EP of the Emmy-nominated Netflix show, INDIAN MATCHMAKING, now in its third season, as well as its spin-off JEWISH MATCHMAKING. Her debut feature documentary, A SUITABLE GIRL, premiered at Tribeca and won her the Best Debut Director prize. In addition to her extensive non-scripted success, Smriti more recently directed two episodes of Season 3 of Mindy Kaling’s NEVER HAVE I EVER for Netflix/UTV and directed an episode of Amazon/Freevee’s THE PRADEEPS OF PITTSBURGH, EP’ed by Michael Showalter.