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April 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM PT
Premier Theater at One Letterman
Calendar SFFILM Festival

Shorts 7: Youth Works

TRT: 74 min

Youth Works celebrates and spotlights the next generation of filmmakers from within the Bay Area, and from as far away…
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As You Are
Directed by Daria Strachan USA | Short Films | 7 min
After she is confronted at church and misunderstood by her dad, a queer Black teen searches for self-acceptance and belonging in community.

As You Are

The Brave Ones
Directed by Mahdiyeh Abbaszadeh Iran | Short Films | 4 min
A caring forester puts his own life in danger when he saves a Persian leopard after a poacher wounds the endangered cat in this culturally rich stop-motion short.

The Brave Ones

Coop
Directed by Mujtaba Alhejji Saudi Arabia | Short Films | 12 min
After accidentally popping a soccer ball, young Adam sparks a creative solution at the market to get enough money to buy a new ball and win over his teammates.

Coop

Echoes of Sunlit Koi
Directed by Ying Zhao China | Short Films | 5 min
Caught between family secrets and a desire to get the last rare fish before his classmate, a young boy discovers a surprise at the pet store.

Echoes of Sunlit Koi

Junebug
Directed by Amiko Muscat USA | Short Films | 6 min
A youthful, sensory-driven collage of drifting sounds, shimmering textures, and meditative reflections weave together during a sweltering summer day at a Los Angeles public pool.

Junebug

little dreamer
Directed by Astrid Nymo-Young USA | Short Films | 5 min
As she struggles with a creative block, young artist Lizzy transports back to her playful childhood aspirations where her imagination then might be just what she needs now.

little dreamer

Painting Resistance
Directed by Dylan Clarke, Aesha Gluck, Liam Renaud USA | Short Films | 9 min
San Francisco muralist Chris Gazeleh shares his family’s story and his vibrant art that promotes awareness of the history and struggle of Palestinian people.

Painting Resistance

Reach For Me
Directed by Hazel Baileh Klein Wolff USA | Short Films | 5 min
A daughter reconciles the kaleidoscopic layers of complex emotions passed down from her mom, healing the past and present.

Reach For Me

Thunderbird and Killer Whale: S-hwuhwa’us & Qul-lhanumutsun
Directed by Jason Cheng Canada | Short Films | 8 min
Stz’uminus First Nation Master Carver John Marston embarks on a personal journey to continue the legacy of the traditional and intricate art of canoe carving.

Thunderbird and Killer Whale: S-hwuhwa’us & Qul-lhanumutsun

Umbral Cloak
Directed by Cade Savage Schwartz USA | Short Films | 5 min
In a striking otherworldly terrain, a rock climber undergoes a poetic transformation when a mythological winged creature descends.

Umbral Cloak

Why Can't We Just Be Ghosts?
Directed by Patrick Jang USA | Short Films | 9 min
After a teen ghost confesses his depression to his human best friend, the two search for a path toward acceptance and happiness in this thought-provoking satire.

Why Can't We Just Be Ghosts?

Program Description

Youth Works celebrates and spotlights the next generation of filmmakers from within the Bay Area, and from as far away as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China. Demonstrating the rising talent of these teenagers, these shorts encompass thought-provoking scripts, breathtaking and delightful cinematography, rich stop-motion animation, and genre-pushing meditations. Through the filmmakers’ unique viewpoints, we peek into their communities, adolescence, and the growth and transformation that happens in early adulthood. From perspectives of balancing intersecting identities, artistic resistance and celebration, childhood creativity, and self-acceptance and compassion, these films introduce us to a budding group of fresh cinematic voices carrying us boldly into the next generation of filmmaking. — Soph Schultz Rocha