Up until the 1970s, a small baptist church in Atlanta held weekly church services for the low-income neighborhood around it. Fifty years later, that same building has been turned into loft apartments, the neighborhood around it gentrified to the point it's become unrecognizable, the stillstanding green cross on the building's front a hollow reminder of what it once was.

Over the course of several months the director documented that area in a series of time-lapses that compressed the long arc of hours into short minutes, capturing the building's unique architecture, the sweep of light from its stained-glass windows, and the rise and fall of days in a series of expressionist portraits. As these portraits flit by we hear snippets of several Baptist church services, of the kind that once occurred in that same building.

Once Faithful is both a location study and a ghost story, a film that captures the haunting, beautiful, and meditative spirit of so many places defined by their long forgotten past.

Will Goldin, an actor trying to stay afloat, whose life is turned upside down when he leases a car to drive for a ride share company.

He quickly realizes he can’t afford the car and his apartment – think about how much money you could save if you didn’t have to pay rent? Living on the edge in Hollywood, Will drives around the clock trying to get ahead, struggling to hold onto his dreams – a modern day "Taxi Driver" and social commentary on the gig economy.

GENRE FILM PROGRAM A-28

Disabled from a degenerative nerve condition, Noa is kept under strict control by her overprotective mother. But their routine is interrupted when her unfamiliar aunt comes to visit, and Noa’s worldview is thrown into question.

When Noa tries to seize this chance to realize her independence, her mother will do whatever it takes to keep her by her side.

GENRE FILM PROGRAM A-28

Set in the near future “Press 1” centers on Hayden, a woman dealing with the consequences of hiring an AI company to manifest a rendition of her lover’s consciousness.

GENRE FILM PROGRAM A-28

A college friend group's reunion weekend is upended when they start to receive strange messages in their friend group chat... from five years in the future.

Friendships are questioned, relationships are ruined, and emotions ignite as they desperately try to determine what is predestination and what is prophecy.

This film explores the complex dynamics of young adult friendships with a sci-fi driven twist.

Leaked from the depths of the dark web, Daniel, an incel and would-be content creator, chronicles his journey to find fulfillment, unraveling a complex tale of self-discovery with disturbing consequences.

COMEDY PROGRAM B-28

Hayden is new to camp and doesn't fit in with the other girls.

She'd rather spend time with her counselor Alison who makes her feel special in a way that she doesn't quite understand. But when Alison tells Hayden to make an effort with her bunkmates, Hayden is conflicted. All they ever talk about is boys and she doesn't have a crush on any of them.

In an attempt to not feel like a total loser she invents a fake crush on the oddball music teacher, Mr. Kyle. When the other girls doubt her crush is real, Hayden makes up a series of lies that eventually all come crashing down on her and Alison.

COMEDY PROGRAM B-28

A Caucasian man, is nervous to meet his Mexican girlfriend’s parents for the first time.

COMEDY PROGRAM B-28

In a not-so-distant future, men have embraced the study of Cognitive Tantric Liptonianism. Through diet and meditation, they tamed their aggressive nature and brought about world peace. But perhaps they have lost something too. Sports got a lot more boring…

After 7 years of intense CTL training, 7 years of denying himself even a drop of caffeine, Corbin has achieved the ultimate mind-over-body control by producing only X-chromosome sperm. After 7 years, his wife suddenly wants a baby boy.

COMEDY PROGRAM B-28

Community members of the quaint town of South Pasadena go on a walk where they are confronted by a bully, witness an invasion of peacocks, exchange gifts of friendship with an exercise enthusiast, and a whistling Almond Milk Man makes his rounds.

A darkly comic slacker noir about a lowly night-shift security guard and his faithful talking chair, Grace Kelly. Once Tom (the aforementioned security guard of storage facility Your Storage) becomes privy to men disappearing in storage units, he begins to investigate what’s going down at Your Storage.

Is it all in his head? Will he clean up the puddle in Monitor #5? Is he ever gonna call his mom? Only one way to find out, folks.

John is an eighteen-year-old Latino male prostitute, living in the poorest area of Hollywood. He often steals condoms and medicine from the local stores to support himself, due to his inexperience in the hustling world.

His best friend is Peaches- a black trans prostitute, who often helps John financially. Miguel is an older hustler that teaches John how to please men. John often spends his night wandering through the street, looking for older men to buy him for the night. His clients, men who come from all level of society, share with John their stories and secrets.

This movie tells the struggling story of LGBTQ sex workers in Hollywood, and is inspired by the Italian neorealism and the French New Wave.

The last HRIFF social event of the festival is our final Wednesday Night Event.
Taking place in Los Angeles in a secret location at L.A. LIVE from 9:45pm-11:00pm.

Have drinks and socialize in downtown Los Angeles, meet your fellow filmmakers and have fun after a day full of film screenings as our festival block of over 170 film screenings and events comes to close.

Buy an All Party Pass today to be able to attend to all our party events, including this final fun-filled social event of the festival season!

No Minors.
21 & Up Only.
Ticket Required For Entry.