Spotlights: A Showtime Short Film Series

"Pozole" follows Maia, who sets out to reconnect with her Mexican-American roots on her Nana's birthday but things go terribly wrong. In "Tea Time on Hip Hop Nation", after losing her long-time job at a Classical FM station, radio show host Ethel Jenny interviews for a new gig. "Broken Bird" tells the story of Birdie, a biracial girl raised by her Jewish mom in a New Jersey suburb, who spends a rare day with her father while preparing for her Bat Mitzvah.

In "Benevolent Ba", a devout woman's lust for virtue thrusts her family into a sacrificial slaughter of biblical proportions. In "France Michelle is a Man's Name" is set against the backdrop of the American West and explores fatherhood, rituals of male bonding, and what it means to identify as a trans man in contemporary America. "Raspberry"follows a son who struggles to say goodbye to his dead father.

In Meats, a pregnant vegan wrestles with her newfound craving for meat. It's an exploration of the ethics of meat-eating and the fears inherent in becoming a parent. Cross My Heart follows an American teenage girl who visits her family in Jamaica and learns a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. Sebastian tells the story of an emigrating father who writes home to his son. Based on the letters Sam's grandfather sent and received when he emigrated from Mexico to America in 1948, this is a reimagining of his immigrant story.

"Sweetheart Dancers'' is a story about Sean and Adrian, a couple determined to rewrite the rules of Native American culture through their participation in the 'Sweetheart Dance.' "The South is My Sister's Skin" is a short documentary that follows an artist's coming of age with the American South as her backdrop. In "Sales Per Hour" a young woman faces a moral dilemma when she witnesses a sexual encounter in a dressing room at the clothing store where she works.

"He Wants to Know My Number" addresses the double standard targeting female sexuality. Women are still being shamed and ridiculed for being absolutely normal human beings. Sakinah Iman created this powerful, provocative, and entertaining spoken word piece, expressing her take on the issue of sex and promiscuity in this day and age. In "Ponyboi", an Intersex sex worker looks for love and a way out of his seedy life in New Jersey. Through a magical encounter with the man of his dreams, Ponyboi discovers his worth.

"Benevolent Ba" follows a devout woman and her lust for virtue that thrusts her family into a sacrificial slaughter of biblical proportions.