Youth Works celebrates and spotlights young filmmakers from within the Bay Area and as far across the globe as Ukraine and rural China. With works encompassing out-of-this-world visual effects, innovative hand-drawn animation, and intimate interviews, these young filmmakers do not shy away from pushing boundaries and displaying their talent. Through their unique viewpoints, we peek into their communities, adolescence, and the growth and transformation that happens in early adulthood. From tales of fantastic journeys, radical self-acceptance, and feminine power, to understanding one’s culture and identity, these films introduce us to an up-and-coming group of cinematic voices carrying us one short at time into the next generation of filmmaking.

Total Runtime 78 min

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Make Art, Reese!
Mika Lim (USA 2023, 8 min)
Hoping to make a masterpiece, a young artist explores the meaning of art and rediscovers why he creates in the first place.

Weathered
Patrick Jang (USA 2023, 9 min)
Three teenagers openly share their personal stories of struggle and transformation that allowed them to embrace self-acceptance.

Comma
Sonia Leliukh (Ukraine/Germany 2023, 4 min)
Enter into a striking animated portal of Ukrainian people living their everyday lives despite the tragedies of war.

like a stone or flower
Kaiya Jordan (USA 2023, 10 min)
Three Bay Area Asian American artists across generations reflect on the ability of art to transcend rationality and logic.

FATALE
Kayen Manovil (USA 2024, 4 min)
Through music, enchanting nature, and movement, explore a vibrant meditation on the power and joy of teenage femininity.

Sil-tteu-gi
Yezy Suh (USA 2023, 5 min)
Growing up 6,000 miles away from her grandparents, a young Korean American reflects on lost family stories and the culture uprooted from her life.

Majid, the Muslim Rapper
Kea Morshed (USA 2023, 10 min)
In Oakland, an up-and-coming Muslim rapper struggles to balance his faith with the provocative nature of his song lyrics.

Substratum
Harvey Abrahams (Australia 2023, 7 min)
Isolated and surrounded by power, a young boy attempts to change the path of his dictator father. Will peace prevail or will he succumb to his family’s history?

Puppet Back Up
Maxwell Downer (UK 2023, 9 min)
In the streets of Southampton, England, two artists create interactive giant puppet theater shows to create understanding and community dialogue surrounding climate issues.

Maps
Esmé Nix (USA 2023, 8 min)
Two best friends navigate high school as explorers, discovering new lands. When they find no island where they fit, they learn to change course.

Gentle Breeze
Wenwei Hu (China 2023, 4 min)
An old man, a young boy, and a bunch of balloons take a fantastic journey through rural China.