Shorts Package: Play It As It Lays

In celebration of female filmmakers, variegated realities come together to inspire us to progress, together, and keep on playing. In “Freedom Day” (Dir. Rianne Pyle; 24min), three fiery and passionate activists take their battle for racial equality to the streets by orchestrating the first Juneteenth march in Washington D.C. “Why Is My Grandfather’s Bed In Our Living Room” (Sarah Alhashimi; 7min) tells the story of an Emirati family who lost their ancestral house to community development plans, and a century-old wooden bed is the only tangible memory that remains. In “Favorite Daughter” (Dana Reilly; 19min), an intergenerational odd couple shelters-in-place in a lower Manhattan apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic. In “Connexions Banksy X Géricault” (Annie Dautane; 26min), Banksy issues a warning cry on the migration crisis in Europe still ongoing this day by recreating Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa. “Fulfilling Buddha’s Vision: In Ordination, Buddhist Nuns Seek Equality” (Warangkana Chomchuen; 29min) focuses on the struggle for gender equality in Buddhism by examining the revival of bhikkhunis- ordained female Buddhist monks- who are reclaiming their place within the Buddhist religious hierarchy.

In-Person: Various Shorts Filmmakers