DRAMA PROGRAM A-21

Based on the award-winning one woman show, SUSPENDED tells the story of Brooke and Bryson, a brother and sister with a tumultuous relationship.

Brooke struggles to understand her brother, who is on the autism spectrum. We follow their complicated sibling dynamic as they try to navigate childhood, angsty teen-years and adulthood.

The two siblings find connection and a common language only through music.

DRAMA PROGRAM A-21

A young woman battles with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

DRAMA PROGRAM A-21

On the brink of the edge, a young woman is interrupted by an invitation for a cup of tea that changes the course of her life.

DRAMA PROGRAM A-21

How do we determine our worth as individuals? How does that decision reflect back at us when projected out into society? These questions and more are brought up in The Dirty Animal.

This film tells the story of what happens when a well to do business man comes across the hidden talents of a homeless man, ...and recruits him to track down an old flame in the streets of Los Angeles.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM B-21

Wait For It... is about a troubling circumstance. You're 30 years old, living in Washington D.C., happily engaged to your best friend. One day, out of nowhere, you receive a call informing you that your first true love has been in an accident, and is now resting in a coma in a Los Angeles hospital. You don't know if they are going to make it.

So the question becomes: Do you venture across the country for a chance to say goodbye? And if you express interest in going, and your fiancée vehemently opposes, do you go anyway?

Eventually, everything comes to a head, and the characters are forced to ask themselves: When does love let go?

SHORT FILM PROGRAM B-21

A tender psychological tale about unspeakable loss and unspeakable love following a grieving man who finds healing through an unexpected companion.

This film speaks about the heaviness of being human and the resiliency of our spirit, our capacity for hope.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM B-21

On an early Fall day, a man ventures alone into the ancient and untamed woods of the Pacific Northwest. Lost in thought yet driven by an urgent sense of purpose, he seems to be on some kind of mission. But what?

Day blends into night and back again as he plunges deeper into the dense wilderness. As his determination intensifies we are left to wonder what secret is he hiding, until the truth is finally revealed...

SHORT FILM PROGRAM B-21

A burnt-out professional wants just one night to unwind and watch the season finale of her favorite dating show, “My Person.” With pizza delivered and candles lit, nothing can get in her way, except for, perhaps, an alien invasion.

The mysterious creature’s attempts become increasingly irritating, and an end must be put to the madness.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM B-21

Elliot is having cold feet 15min before his wedding. His best man Darren is trying to talk him off the ledge. However the more Darren tries to reassure Elliot, the more Elliot begins to notice something odd about his best man’s behavior.

Darren then lets it slip. He’s been hiding a secret that for better or for worse will change the course of their lives forever.

FILM PROGRAM C-21

Matt is new to town, a reserved video editor living amidst a sea of colors and sounds in the riotous heart of West Hollywood. One day noticing a beautiful but mysterious woman on Santa Monica Boulevard, he takes a chance to strike up a conversation with her.

Her name is Savannah. She is beautiful, intimidating, and from a completely different world than Mark - she is a high-class escort. But following an unforgettable night on the town, he becomes convinced that there is a spark between them, and that his days of loneliness may soon be over.

FILM PROGRAM C-21

The long-simmering tension between two sisters comes to a boil during a chaotic road trip to fulfill their father’s last wish.

FILM PROGRAM C-21

Rory has taken his grandfather, Arthur, to dinner at the sort of establishment he’s detested his entire life - fast, easy, and capitalistic.

Arthur fidgets in his seat until the vitriol in his veins boils over and he shreds staff and customer alike, while Rory sits patiently, enduring the outburst as he knows the true purpose of their visit: a reimagining of the cafe’s financial structure via terror and mayhem.

FILM PROGRAM C-21

Stevie Lee has always yearned for a girlfriend. Or, at the very least, some same-sex action. Freshly out of an engagement with her long-time (ex-)boyfriend, she meets up with Dani–an impossibly hot, honest-togoodness lesbian.

Desperate to finally “prove” her bisexuality, she bluffs her way into an all-girl threesome, thinking she’ll figure it out when she gets there.

She does not figure it out when she gets there.

FILM PROGRAM C-21

In this absurdist comedy, a simple glory hole turns into a metaphor for postmodernism and in particular, the LGBTQ movement.

“Ye Ole Glorya” deftly highlights the central components of these movements with compassion, curiosity and depth as it finds resolution to the age-old dichotomy of love and lust.

With a colorful use of language and semantics, watchers can expect to be intrigued, beguiled and most of all, entertained. Thoughtful and hilarious, “Ye Ole Glorya” is a must watch!

DRAMA SHORTS PROGRAM D-21

A highly intelligent tech student recruits his skilled classmates to become temporary thieves.

To justify their actions, the group targets criminals or people they deem worthy of their crime sprees. Each member of the group has their reasons, some more understandable than others.

The night takes a turn when the group comes together to complete one last mission.

DRAMA SHORTS PROGRAM D-21

Two women from very different walks of life, maybe even eras? Both women are escaping their pasts, and find themselves at a crossroads. As they confess to what led them to the highway, the past burns down in front of their very eyes.

This film explores domestic and emotional abuse and the stronghold that can be a repetitive pattern of trauma over generations.

DRAMA SHORTS PROGRAM D-21

In a tense scrapyard standoff, a skilled thief and his team of hardened criminals confront a rival crew in a deserted scrapyard after a botched heist. While a member of their team is bleeding out in a nearby van the distrust amongst the crew rises.

As suspicions rise and loyalties are tested, they uncover a shocking truth about their target and the dangerous game they now find themselves in, forcing them to decide between trust and survival.

Kate is an amateur ballroom dancer with a mysterious reputation—her dance partner has disappeared. Remy is a private detective married to Kate’s dance instructor Amelia.

Remy becomes Kate’s new dance partner while trying to solve the case, but he finds himself following the steps of the previous victim. After Remy, Amelia becomes Kate's new partner.

Will her fate be different?

Start the festival off right! Socialize with filmmakers & festival guests in this low key meet-up event that is not-to-be-missed.

Our festival's Opening Night Reception is one of the most fun meet-ups of the festival; a more personal event compared to our other parties and events, where it is easier to make new friends and collaborators in casual bar setting.

Purchase an HRIFF Party-Ticket Package, ...to be able to check out all of our party events.

Get your tickets today!

Ticket Required For Entry.
21 and Up only.
No Minors.