Shorts 7 – ALT/ESC
October 11 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm EDT
“ALT/ESC” journeys beyond the familiar into worlds both imagined and unsettlingly close at hand. Spanning animation, science fiction, comedy, and live action, this collection of short films explores alternate realities, digital selves, distant planets, miniature universes, and the deeply human desire to escape our circumstances, reinvent who we are, or simply be somewhere else. From gravity-defying family bonds and AI-driven identity crises to lonely outcasts, online battlegrounds, and last-chance voyages from a dying Earth, “ALT/ESC” invites audiences to consider the worlds we build, inhabit, and long for, whether they exist light-years away or only in our minds.
A post-screening discussion with filmmakers is expected to follow.
Theater #2
In this Program
- Saba
- Afterlife
- This Conversation Has Been Removed
- A Very Special Person
- The Last Shuttle
- The Gun
- Miniature Man
Saba
A film by Liron Topaz
In an abstract and symbolic world where gravity is reversed, a unique bond forms between a grandfather and his grandson. As Saba, the grandfather guides the boy through this surreal reality until a violent storm strikes, tearing one of the ropes anchoring their home – and with it, their life together.
2026 | 10 mins | US | Color | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Afterlife
A film by Charles Scott Bell
Haunted by grief in a near-future where sadness can be outsourced, April Neal considers a new outpatient procedure: an AI implant that can replicate her mind, replace it with a digital copy, and spare her loved ones the pain of loss. Set one product launch from today, Afterlife is an introspective sci-fi thriller about art, identity, and the slow erasure of the self in the age of artificial intelligence.
2025 | 24 mins | US | B&W, Color | Sci-fi, Drama
The filmmakers Charles Scott Bell, Cierra Bell, and Brian Jackson are expected to be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
This Conversation Has Been Removed
A film by Andrew Nolan
When Peter and Jill engage in an online comment war, they learn just how wrong “making it personal” can go.
2025 | 7 mins | Ireland, UK | Color | Comedy
A Very Special Person
A film by Paul Taylor
After alienating her co-workers, a self-absorbed woman turns to her enabling chatbot for advice.
2025 | 7 mins | US | Color | Drama, Comedy
The filmmaker Paul Taylor is expected to be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
The Last Shuttle
A film by Jordan Mazzarella, Quinn Michael K
With Earth on the brink of collapse, a selfish scavenger discovers a lost nonverbal girl whose family can save them both, leading him on a journey that reminds him of his humanity.
2026 | 22 mins | US | Color | Suspense, Sci-fi
The filmmakers Jordan Mazzarella, Quinn Michael Kirschenbaum, and Dustin Ropp are expected to be in attendance for a post-film discussion.
The Gun
A film by Randall Christopher
Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick. On a distant planet all life has been annihilated through war, but when a group of scientists decide to explore the surface they find a terrifying automatic weapon which still functions.
2025 | 12 mins | US | Color | Animation, Sci-fi
Miniature Man
A film by Dylan A Taylor
A disillusioned man seeking to escape his routine finds newfound solace when one of his model train figures mysteriously comes to life. As their relationship deepens, he is forced to confront his feelings of indecision, avoidance, and isolation.
2026 | 15 mins | US | Color | Drama, Fantasy
The filmmakers Dylan A Taylor and Angel Avalos, and actors Matthew Walker and Ana Gorayeb are expected to be in attendance for a post-film discussion.