Monthly Film Festival

January 23, 2021 12:30pm PST - 09:00pm PST

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosts its January Monthly Film Festival, spotlighting narratives whose perspectives offer us the world through the lens of ageing characters, as well as a selection from our general program.

The day starts with InFocus: Counter-Ageism Shorts, a collection of films that tell stories of age and ageing from all over the world, capturing protagonists as they navigate changing circumstances, recall pivotal life moments, find their truth and defy the societal expectations of age.

The evening continues with InFocus: Counter-Ageism’s feature film, Love Is Not Love, an impressionistic and poetic black and white first feature by director Stephen Keep Mills, which delves into the contrasts between fantasy and reality that play out in romance through the experiences of his protagonist (played by Mills, who has been a working actor for over fifty years) caught between his decades-long marriage and a new yearning.

The night concludes with Shorts Program #2: Autonomy, a selection of vibrant narrative films which each in their own way explore the drive for personal autonomy and our ability to survive and thrive through that autonomy. The program includes stories of running into your mother while buying condoms, the early public stages of the transition of a transgender child, a dystopian future without fresh water, the true story of one of the pioneers of oral contraceptives, and the personal and familial politics of drag in a small town.

All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects which will be considered for all upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion and region. NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year.

Schedule Details

Program #1: Shorts #1: InFocus: Counter-Ageism Shorts
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Suggested Screening Time
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #2: InFocus: Counter-Ageism Feature – Love Is Not Love
3:15 PM – 4:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #3: Shorts Program #2 – Autonomy
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Shorts #1: InFocus: Counter-Ageism Shorts
Younger Thumbnail
Younger
Dir. Denise Dove
9 Mins | USA
Nothing To See Here Thumbnail
Nothing To See Here
Dir. Amy Barham
7 Mins | USA
On Wenlock Edge Thumbnail
On Wenlock Edge
Dir. Jeremy Hamway-Bidgood
27 Mins | UK
The Spirits Just Understand Our Language Thumbnail
The Spirits Just Understand Our Language
Dir. Cileuza Jemjusi, Robert Tamuxi, Valdeilson Jolasi & Writ. Cileuza Jemjusi, Alessandro Kezo, Ronilso Irawaxi
5 Mins | Brazil
Weaving Our Paths Thumbnail
Weaving Our Paths
Dir. & Writ. Cledson Kanunxi, Jackson Xinuni, Marta Tipuici
6 Mins | Brazil
Wish You Were There Thumbnail
Wish You Were There
Dir. Kieran Thompson
17 Mins | USA
Elders Thumbnail
Elders
Dir. Parisa Sedaei-Azar, Ramin Farzaneh
19 Mins | Iran
InFocus: Counter-Ageism Feature
Love Is Not Love Thumbnail
Love Is Not Love
Dir. Stephen Keep Mills
95 Mins | USA
Shorts Program #2: Autonomy
Extra Safe
Dir. Nouran Sherif
9 Mins | Egypt
The Confirmation Thumbnail
The Confirmation
Dir. Marie Louise Damgaard
18 Mins | Denmark
Oasis
Dir. Matthew Wassong
10 Mins | USA
Sweet Potatoes
Dir. Rommel Villa
30 Mins | USA
Beauty Boys
Dir. Florent Gouelou
18 Mins | France