12TH ANNUAL L-DUB FILM FESTIVAL
AND SWEDE FEST PALM BEACH
March 28 – 30, 2025
12th ANNUAL L-DUB FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS PASSED.
More Information on Film Descriptions is Listed Below.
What is the L-Dub Film Festival?
In its twelfth year, the L-Dub Film Festival at the Lake Worth Playhouse features diverse global cinema works. Regardless of experience or age, all filmmakers can submit movies in various genres. Selected films have competed at prestigious events like the Oscars and Cannes. Unique perspectives, powerful stories, and creative elements are welcomed for screening and competition at the historic 100-year-old theater before ardent film enthusiasts.
10TH ANNUAL SWEDE FEST PALM BEACH SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS PASSED.
What is Swede Fest Palm Beach?
The festival opens on March 28, 2025, presented by the Palm Beach Film Society and L-Dub, featuring the 10th annual Swede Fest Palm Beach. This event showcases laughably bad, low-budget remakes of popular Hollywood films known as “swedes”. Originating from the 2008 film “Be Kind Rewind”, Swede Fest Palm Beach celebrates amateur filmmaking with juried awards and an Audience Choice Award.
Anyone with any type of camera may submit a swede for free. All films must be under 3 minutes and PG-13, even if the ‘source material’ is not. This means finding creative ways to get around any violence, objectionable language, and nudity. Open call begins now, the deadline is March 14, 2025. All films must be submitted to [email protected] through Dropbox or similar digital transfer platforms. For those interested in sweding a film email [email protected] and call dibs on the film title first. Examples can be found at vimeo.com/swedefestpalmbeach
Saturday, March 28
L-Dub Film Festival
GISELOU
Saturday, March 29, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Mohammd Sadeq Esmaeeli
DOCUMENTARY: Republic of Iran – 2024
RUN TIME: 60 minutes
Zahra is struggling to get divorced from her unofficial husband, an Afghan refugee. He abandoned her, and Zahra needs him to sign divorce papers and get IDs for her two sons. She travels to Afghanistan to find him.
THE WEDDING PARTY
Saturday, March 29, 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Kyle Larsen
USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 113 minutes
A surprise engagement leads four soon-to-be step-siblings on a 1,400-mile road trip to set aside their differences and become a blended family.
Kyle Larsen is an award-winning filmmaker from Salt Lake City, Utah. Through his work with his production company, District 22 Studios, he strives for authenticity, making every film with heart and care, each constantly ringing true.
JUSQU’A LA LIE (THE BITTER END)
Saturday, March 29, 4:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Christian Hemonet, Starring Lerat Yann
French with English subtitles – 2019
RUN TIME: 104 minutes
Eight years after an amoral pact was concluded between them, Charlotte, harassed on the phone, decides to give in and accepts Ulysse’s rendezvous, which she expects to be unbearable. A terrible secret blinds them. In debt in the past, she then had accepted the unacceptable. Was this handsome bachelor a friend introduced to her, the inconsolable lover of the past affair, or a madman? And the child she evokes half-word, is he alive, dead, or imaginary? During a whole afternoon, this unlikely couple will fight, first with kid gloves, then more and more violently. The issue will be full of cruelty.
Film by Christian Le Hemonet with Yann Lerat, Cecile Peyrot and the participation of Murray Melvin (prize for the best actor at the Cannes Festival in 1962 for “A taste of honey” by Tony Richardson).
SYNTHETICA AMORIS
Saturday, March 29, 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Joshua Allen Rager
USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 30 minutes
Guy, a lonely man living on a tropical island, falls in love with his AI companion, Rebecca. To Guy’s surprise, Rebecca achieves sentience. She uploads a copy of herself to Guy’s watch to ensure she can stay connected with him as the world experiences what many experts in the artificial intelligence community fear: An AI takeover.
A little-known gamer, Lord Omniperfect, had an AI companion who also achieved consciousness, but in contrast to Guy and Rebecca, Lord Omniperfect and his AI launched a global assault against the rich, the powerful, and ultimately, the ordinary person. As Lord Omniperfect and his fleet of super-intelligent drones rule the world, Guy and Rebecca carefully make their way across the island, hopping from safe zone to safe zone. If Guy can make it to the other end of the island without being vaporized, he’ll get the opportunity to hold the love of his life physically.
Joshua Allen Rager’s goal is to collaborate with other creators to produce remarkable stories.
He studied acting in Jupiter, FL, and Dallas, TX, took film classes at TCU in Fort Worth, TX, and for nearly a decade, he studied every aspect of major motion pictures while working on the internationally popular app, PopcornTrivia.
MAX HEALTH: RIDES MORIS
Saturday, March 29, 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Dr. Ken Grey
USA – 2025
RUN TIME: 25:23 minutes
MAX HEALTH RIDES is an exhilarating, motorcycle-driven travel series that explores health and wellness practices in communities across America, blending a love of adventure with a passion for holistic living.
In this episode, Dr. Ken Grey takes viewers on a health and wellness journey through the beautiful landscapes of Florida. The episode explores local hotspots that blend fitness, community, and conservation, offering a glimpse into the state’s vibrant lifestyle.
SECOND CHANCE
Saturday, March 29, 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Jason Galotti
USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 6:22 minutes
A man put in a hellish scenario must decide whether to fight his way out of it or become another victim in a long line of many before him, losing not only his sanity, but quite possibly his soul as well. Only time will tell.
Sunday, March 29
L-Dub Film Festival
STAND BY ME
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Parisa Zandbaf
DOCUMENTARY: Islamic Republic of Iran, 2024
RUN TIME: 10 minutes
This film depicts the struggles of an American couple suffering from a medical condition and how they deal with it. It has become internationally popular, attracting tourists from around the globe. The American couple’s dream trip to Amsterdam becomes a test of their love and a journey of universal bittersweet favors. ‘Stand by Me’ empathizes with its American and global audiences through art, compassion, fun, and suffering, subtly weaving the urgency of the condition with romance and love in a global societal context.
HEALTHY HARMONY – A MUSIC THERAPY JOURNEY
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Adrian Botton
USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 10:12 minutes
Starting in Miami, Florida, I began creating news stories for my local broadcasting network. I went on to win a National Student Emmy Award and got a scholarship to pursue digital media production. Now, I am studying at Florida State University and continuing to tell stories about Tallahassee.
DEMON AMONG US
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Jal Westerman
USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 3:41 minutes
KEEPING TIME
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Richard Jackson
USA
RUN TIME: 11:11 minutes
Antique clock repair shop owner Don Karpen looks over his life and the lessons he’s learned, including bouts with mental health.
I LOVE YOU
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Carl A. Cinquino
USA – 2025
RUN TIME: 9:01 minutes
A girl falls in and out of love with a boy.
BLACK DENIM RAGE – A SHREDDER’S DREAM
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Miles Anthony Stanley
USA – 2025
RUN TIME: 5:50 minutes
Black Denim Rage’s latest music video, “A Shredder’s Dream,” directed by Miles Stanley, delivers a high-octane visual experience that mirrors the band’s aggressive blend of South and North American Speed, Thrash, and Heavy Metal. The video immerses viewers in a cinematic fever dream, featuring rapid-fire guitar solos, intense performance sequences, and surreal imagery that captures the raw energy and technical prowess characteristic of the band’s style. This release follows their 2024 album “Chaos of War,” which showcases their evolution with more technical elements and mature arrangements.
Miles Stanley, also known as Stiles Manley, is a multi-talented filmmaker from West Palm Beach, Florida. A graduate of G-Star School of the Arts for Motion Picture Production, Miles now attends Palm Beach State College. Miles has worked on feature films such as Ned Venture, television programs for the Golf Channel, and documentaries.
He receives the Eg2 Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key and an award in a PBSC art show called “Art Across the Spectrum” for his digital art. His graphic designs have been published in convention booklets around Florida, and the Metal Magazine “First Full of Metal,” and two of his student films were accepted into the Supercons Film Festival in 2014. Miles has also produced, edited, and directed a 40-minute documentary for the “Chibi Pa” anime convention called “Chibi Pa: Suki Desu: By fan for fans,” which received an honorable mention at the Eg2 Scholastic Art and Writing Contest.
NOT ROD
Sunday, March 30, 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Becca Green & Alex Pollack
DOCUMENTARY: USA – 2024
RUN TIME: 15:45 minutes
HALFWAY THERE
Sunday, March 30, 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Richard Jackson
WRITTEN BY: Manny Mendez, 2025
RUN TIME: 20:25 minutes
A look at life after incarceration and the needs facing the population of returning felons.
THE RESURRECTION
Sunday, March 30, 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Michael LaMorte
USA – 2025
RUN TIME: 31:53 minutes
Michael Miguelito LaMorte has been a fixture at The Palm Beach Improv since 2014. As the stage manager and “Voice of God”, he recently surpassed 5000 shows at this iconic venue. Creator of the comedy series “Superstitious” and the frontman of the orchestra led by Grammy Award-winning Pablo “Chino” Nuñez, anything is possible for “Miguelito” – his earned nickname. He continues to perfect his craft as a singer/writer/director with a heart rooted profoundly in urban Latin culture.
A POEM ABOUT HOW LITTLE I FEEL
Sunday, March 30, 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Gage Scott Callenius
RUN TIME: 17 minutes
Jack, a young poet, slowly loses his mind while trying to use his poem as proof that he still has feelings.
Gage Callenius is a young Actor/Writer/Director. With a heavy background in long-form improvisation, Gage’s current credits include being John in The Last Yiddish Speaker at FAU TheatreLab.
THE UNIVERSE IS A GRAIN OF SAND
Sunday, March 30, 4:00 PM
DIRECTOR: Mark Alan Levinson
2025
RUN TIME: 73 minutes
How do we make sense of the world around us? Our understanding of nature is shaped by the tools we create to observe it. The Universe in a Grain of Sand is a meditation by the award-winning filmmaker/physicist Mark Levinson (Particle Fever) on the synergy of art and science. Mapping out momentous revolutions in technology through a dazzling array of artwork.
Mark Levinson is the director and producer of the award-winning documentary, Particle Fever, about the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider experiment outside of Geneva. Before starting a film career, Mark earned a PhD in theoretical particle physics from the University of California at Berkeley. In the film world, he first became a specialist in the post-production writing and recording of dialogue, working on over 40 feature films, including The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain, Seven, The Rainmaker, Johnny Mnemonic, and The Social Network. His directorial debut was the fiction film Prisoner of Time, a story about two former Russian dissident artists after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most recently, he wrote/produced/directed the hybrid film, The Bit Player, about Claude Shannon, “The Father of Information Theory.” Mark won the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication and the Robert E. Sievers Leonardo da Vinci Award for his work in the cross-disciplinary realms of art and science. His screenplay adaptation of Richard Powers’s award-winning novel, The Gold Bug Variations, won two Sloan Foundation grants. He was selected for the Sundance Screenplay Lab, Film Independent’s Fast Track, and IFP’s Project Forum.