Directors: Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre:  Drama

DIFF Notes:  USA / 1h39m

Synopsis: 13-year-old Nawi finds out her father is selling her to a much older man for a herd of goats. Instead of obeying tradition she chooses to fight her impending marriage and embarks on a journey to reclaim her dream of joining high school.

EVENT: Opening Night Feature
DATE: FRI, October 10th
TIME: 6:30PM – 8:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rating: PG-13

Genre:  Drama

DIFF Notes:  USA / 2h21m

Synopsis: Frank Abagnale, Jr. works as a doctor, a lawyer and as a co-pilot for a major airline, all before his 18th birthday. A master of deception, he is a brilliant forger, whose skill gives him his first real claim to fame. At the age of 17, Frank Abagnale, Jr. becomes the most successful bank robber in the history of the U.S. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty makes it his prime mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice, but Frank is always one step ahead of him.

EVENT: Screening & Producer Q&A
DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 6:00PM – 9:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Markku Hakala, Mari Käki

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre:  Slow Cinema, Arthouse, Experimental

DIFF Notes:  Finland / 1h11m / No Dialogue

Synopsis: Somewhere up north at the age of peak reason there is a man longing for connection but unable to break loose, and a woman feeling alien to the world which has everything figured out for her, without her. They make their best to fit in and fulfill their roles. But something important is missing, as if the whole world was drained of love. During the family trip back to the past the surreal takes over and everything starts to break apart. Giant’s Kettle is a love story without love, a cinematic journey into the unconscious, an epic tragicomedy of the mundane, and a mystery in a world emptied of mystery.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Anthony J. James

DIFF Rating: R 🔴

Genre:  Sci-Fi, Thriller, Romance

DIFF Notes: 1h45m

Synopsis: When a newlywed couple retreats to an off-grid treehouse in Costa Rica, their paradise turns to paranoia as the AI hosts begin testing the limits of their love and loyalty. The Living Tree is a psychological sci-fi romance that explores intimacy, isolation, and what makes us human.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Farhad Gharibi

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes: IRAN / 19m (Foreign Language)

Synopsis: Haunted by guilt, Hamed revisits a funfair, only to be confronted by the visions of his deceased wife and daughter. As he faces the ghosts of his past, he must confront the choices that led to their tragic fate.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Slava Denisov

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Crime, Drama

DIFF Notes: USA / 15m

Synopsis: A ’76 Plymouth reflects on its journey, witnessing decades of human life, capturing moments of freedom, temptation, and redemption as it changes hands from one owner to the next.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Dan Egan

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi

DIFF Notes: 19m

Synopsis: An immigrant auto-shop mechanic watches as the technological marvel of flying cars strips away his livelihood — threatening his marriage and challenging his belief in the American Dream.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
TIME: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Fon Davis

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama

DIFF Notes: 9m

Synopsis:A recovering alcoholic uses her coming out story in her stand-up act and her therapy sessions to explain her addiction and her relationship with her mother.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
TIME: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Annetta Marion

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Satire

DIFF Notes:  USA / 14m

Synopsis: Two slightly lovable, mediocre white theatre producers (think Archie Bunker and Meathead!), try to revive their festival and save the theatre from financial ruin in a post pandemic world.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
TIME: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Anderson Cowan

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Comedy

DIFF Notes:  USA / 13m

Synopsis:After leaving his job and suing his boss for discrimination, a tired old man just wants revenge. He sets out to make a movie about his boss with the help of his only friends, a group of IDD artists and a young film student named Dexter.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
TIME: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Afia Serena Nathaniel

DIFF Rating: PG-13+  (Violence, Abuse) 🔴

Genre: Thriller

DIFF Notes:  Pakistan / 15m (Foreign Language Film)

Synopsis: A missed school bus leaves ten-year-old Myra stranded in Lahore, where her journey home spirals into a tense fight for survival against the men who stalk her every step.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
EVENT: FilmAsia Program
TIME: 1:45PM – 3:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Pankaz Kaladhar

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  India / 16m

Synopsis: Cycle of Sorrow follows a poor father with a beloved daughter, who still yearns for a son as his pregnant wife prepares to give birth. Driven by financial hardship, he makes a tragic decision that not only shatters his family but leaves his relationship with his daughter and wife forever scarred.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
EVENT: FilmAsia Program
TIME: 1:45PM – 3:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Sathya Narayanan R

DIFF Rating: 18+ 🔴

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  India / 22m

Synopsis: A family on the brink of collapse finds unexpected salvation when a transgender nanny steps into their lives—proving that care, compassion, and belonging have no gender.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
EVENT: FilmAsia Program
TIME: 1:45PM – 3:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Viral Desai

DIFF Rating: PG-13+

Genre: Suspense, Drama, Thriller

DIFF Notes:  India / 9m (Foreign Language Film)

Synopsis: A lone taxi driver’s quiet routine is shattered when she picks up a seemingly innocent passenger carrying a RED suitcase. What begins as a simple ride turns into a twisted journey, as the driver uncovers chilling clues hidden inside the suitcase that lead her into the dark mystery. She must navigate the gritty streets and her growing paranoia to survive a night that will change everything.

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
EVENT: FilmAsia Program
TIME: 1:45PM – 3:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Benjamin To

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  USA / 11m

Synopsis: A famous Japanese American dance duo must choose between their passion or their lives as World War II concentration camps begin to rise in the U.S.

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: John Christopher

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Period, Drama

DIFF Notes:  Ireland / 18m

Synopsis: Inspired by a true a story. In 1888 James S. Jameson, heir to the Jameson Whiskey dynasty, returns to Ireland after a year long expedition to the Congo. Things start to unravel as he attempts a return to normality. Will he choose to face the truth? Or will he choose the axe once more?

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Belén Abarza, Eduardo Bunster

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  Chile / 11m (Foreign Language Film)

Synopsis: A famous Japanese American dance duo must choose between their passion or their lives as World War II concentration camps begin to rise in the U.S.

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Jordan Tritasavit, Ian Tsai

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  USA / 10m

Synopsis: Laundry loads, missed calls, and unresolved feelings. Wringer follows Alex through the quiet churn of a laundromat, a gas station, and the aftermath of a relationship that never had clear edges. As the machines tumble, so do memories, questions, and moments that won’t let go. A visual meditation on ambiguity, healing, and the cycles we spin through to feel clean again.

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Farnoosh Abedi, Negah Khezre Fardyardad, Mohammad Ghaffari

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Animation

DIFF Notes:  Iran / 10m

Synopsis: The unbearable lightness of the death of loved ones… There are wounds in life that eat away at you like leprosy…
The weight of the death of loved ones sometimes becomes so overwhelming that to get rid of this weight another birth is inevitable.

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Alireza Kazemipour, Panta Mosleh

DIFF Rating: PG-13+

Genre: Drama, Thriller

DIFF Notes:  Canada / 11m

Synopsis: An Afghan refugee boy hides with his mother inside a moving water tanker trying to cross the border to safety. Losing his mother in the process, NAAJI forever tries to find a way to relive his last memory of her.

DATE: SUN, October 12th (block)
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Gabriel Beristain

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama

DIFF Notes:  USA / 34m

Synopsis: The Persian Rug follows Golsa, a former Miss Iran turned aspiring actress in exile, as she navigates a high-stakes audition for a controversial role in a Western film. While preparing to portray Fatima, a veiled Iranian woman caught between tradition and rebellion, Golsa is confronted by Zara—a ghostly figure who mirrors the woman she used to be in Iran. As Golsa dives deeper into the part, the boundaries between performer and character blur, forcing her to reckon with the trauma, resilience, and truth of the women she’s meant to represent. Intertwining modern oppression with ancient Persian strength embodied by the legendary Pantea Arteshbod, the story becomes a powerful meditation on identity, resistance, and the cost of survival in both art and life.

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DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 5:00PM – 7:00PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Danilo dos Reis

DIFF Rating: n/a

Genre/Theme: Western, Action, History, Native American, Rural, Skateboard, Independent

DIFF Notes:  USA / 1h07m

Synopsis: Box Elder, MT. Population 87, World Class skatepark. From the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains, on ranches and tribal lands, Montana skateboard culture is as diverse as the Big Sky State itself. Over a period of 11 years, Montana Grind portraits how skating builds community and brings healing for kids struggling in Native communities, and grows purpose and understanding in shrinking rural America. Montanian skaters like Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament, bred from the explosive skate scene of the 1970’s, and legendary skateboarders inspire a new generation of the Montana Grind through the construction of more than 35 epic skateparks across the state.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 10:30AM – 11:50PM / Sunrise Screening
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Shawn Clearsky Davis, Michael Del Monte

DIFF Rating: PG-13

Genre/Theme: Culture, Healing, Spiritual, Follow-Doc

DIFF Notes:  Canada / 1h16m

Synopsis: Given up for adoption the day he was born, Shawn’s life spirals into addiction as he struggles with a broken connection to his Anishinaabe culture and a deep resentment toward the mother who abandoned him. Through intense psychedelic therapy and the relentless grind of distance running, CLEAR SKY follows Shawn’s fight to save his life, culminating in a cross-country road trip to confront the person he resents most: his mother.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 4:00PM – 5:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Nick Horrell

DIFF Rating: n/a

Genre/Theme: Biopic, History

DIFF Notes:  UK / 1h

Synopsis: Frank Whittle wanted to change the course of a war. He ended up changing the course of history. ‘Frank Whittle: A Genius In The Family’ tells a David-versus-Goliath story of a man who tried to build a war winning jet fighter in the face of huge opposition from the scientific community, the government and big business. In 1937 Whittle ran the World’s first turbojet engine leading to a revolution in flight and the way we travel – all of today’s jet engines can trace their origins to his work. But, as Whittle’s son Ian reveals, he paid a huge cost in terms of his mental and physical health and his family life

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 1:00PM – 2:50PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Jeff Garner

DIFF Rating: n/a

Genre/Theme: Environmental, Fashion, Toxins, Health

DIFF Notes:  USA / 1h45m

Synopsis: Let Them Be Naked is an audacious exploration into the presence of toxic and often harmful chemicals in the fabrics and materials used in our everyday clothing. Since his mother’s death from breast cancer, designer and activist Jeff Garner has spearheaded a campaign to uncover the health implications of exposure to these chemicals and the urgent need for more ethical production of garments. His advocacy has created relationships with research organizations and innovators across the globe, all leading the conversation surrounding unregulated toxins in the fashion industry. By partnering with these passionate revolutionaries, Jeff reimagines the development and production of everyday garments to inspire a new era of conscious and responsible fashion that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 11:00PM – 12:50PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Thomas Essig

DIFF Rating: n/a

Genre/Theme: Spirituality, Travel, Music, Religion, Poetic

DIFF Notes:  USA / 1h18m

Synopsis: A journey of transformation inspired by life, spirituality, and straight edge hardcore punk music.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 1:00PM – 2:50PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Karl Stelter

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Theme: Doc-follow, Healing, Strength & Courage

DIFF Notes:  USA / 8m

Synopsis: Growing up, Lizzi did not smile because she did not want to be seen. Now, after missing bronze by 1/100th of a second at the 2016 Paralympic Games, Lizzi shares her intimate story of how changing her self-perception didn’t just bring her back to the pool – it’s bringing hope to the next generation.  We are also proud to share that our film has been Oscar Qualified for 2026.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 10:30AM – 11:50AM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Leevi Heino Einari Oramo

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Theme:  Political, Doc-Follow

DIFF Notes:  Estonia / 16m

Synopsis: One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. Follows Simon Ekpa, prime minister of the Biafra government in exile, in a crucial moment of his mission to separate the ancient African state of Biafra, land of the Igbo’s, from Nigeria. Glimpse into the complex geopolitical struggle of Nigeria spanning decades, and the man fully in the midst of it all, with a target on his back.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
EVENT: FilmAfrica Program
TIME: 9:15AM – 10:30PM / Sunrise Screening
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Nazila Azizi

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Theme: Drama, Docu-Fiction, Human Rights, Hybrid, Poetic, Experimental

DIFF Notes:  Afghanistan / 14m

Synopsis: During the 2021 Taliban takeover, the film opens with real news broadcasts and documented scenes alongside moments of a 4-year-old girl playing on an oceanfront beach. It then shifts between parallel worlds through a magical realism narrative. A poetic odyssey of Afghan refugees fleeing war, crossing oceans to escape the Taliban, and drifting through exile. Through bold whispers and dreamlike visions, it lines out the struggle to balance holding on and letting go.

DATE: SAT, October 11th
TIME: 4:00PM – 5:45PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director: Dan Gagliasso

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Themes: History, Film Studies, Military

DIFF Notes:  USA / 22m

Synopsis: World War II was fought on many fronts. One of them was film. “Filming Under Fire: John Ford’s OSS Field Photo Branch”
tells the story of how six-time Academy Award-winning director John Ford and many of its leading filmmakers – including cinematographers Harold Rosson, Gregg Toland, and Joe August; screenwriter Budd Schulberg and actor Sterling Hayden – contributed to America’s victory in World War II through their service in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Field Photographic Branch.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
TIME: 1:00PM- 2:50PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Billy Surges

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Theme: Drama, Docu-Fiction, Human Rights, Hybrid, Poetic, Experimental

DIFF Notes:  Kenya / 40m

Synopsis: Join us on a journey of educational hope for students in poverty-stricken Kenya. Surging Films teams up with The Weiss Scholarship Foundation to bring the stories of various Kenyan scholarship recipients, hopefuls, and alumni to the forefront. In particular, we follow Christine Akoth’s journey as she travels from Kenya to America in hopes to fulfill an educational journey at Elmhurst University. Getting their start in Dago, Kenya, The Weiss Scholarship Foundation’s mission is to empower children with the gift of education while working to build a world where every child gets a great education.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
EVENT: FilmAfrica Program
TIME: 9:15AM – 10:30PM / Sunrise Screening
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Adrián Buenaventur

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Themes:

DIFF Notes:  Kenya / 30m (Spanish, English)

Synopsis: In one of the poorest areas of Kenya, a small school changes the lives of 123 children with functional diversity. They live there, learn trades, receive healthcare and are protected from the stigmatization of the population.

DATE: SUN, October 12th
EVENT: FilmAfrica Program
TIME: 9:15AM – 10:30PM / Sunrise Screening
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA

Director(s): Paul Hemstreet

DIFF Rating: Not Rated

Genre/Theme: Educational, Comedy, Non-fiction

DIFF Notes:  USA / 4m

Synopsis: “Thanks, autism!” is a key takeaway excerpted directly from superstar animator Jorge Gutierrez‘s (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life) educationally-focused one-man show at Victory Theatre Center in Burbank, California on September 26, 2024. The audience, comprised of audibly appreciative neurodivergent performing and visual artists from local adult day program Spectrum Laboratory could not get enough of Gutierrez’s uplifting, autobiographical 450-slide presentation, animation career retrospective, and overall morale boost. In fact, the excitement carried on beyond the proscenium and into voluminous attendee social media posts in the following days. In fact, we – Autism in Entertainment – created this film to mark a most auspicious occasion that continues to perform!

DATE: SAT, October 11th (block)
TIME: 12:00PM – 1:30PM
LOCATION: AMC, The Grove LA