Art of Brooklyn Film Festival

Schedule Of Events

12:00 PM : LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD - Streaming Encore

The Understudy

An understudy actor receives a call that he must go on last-minute to replace the star of a major stage production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, all while caring for his young granddaughter.

Year: 2024, Runtime: 14 minutes, Language: English, Director: Peter Pasyk

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

The Madman

Two men find themselves in a tense standoff on a packed commuter train in 1970s Jaipur, India. While the railways had been vital arteries of the nation since the 1890s, those engines were slowly falling into disrepair. In just under a year, the Bangladesh War for Independence would begin, and as one historian put it: “A journey on the rails of Bengol in 1971 was often a melancholy affair. This was the period of the Bangladeshi War of Independence; and the crowds of people at the stations were not passengers, but homeless refugees." With the war itself mere months away, the tension and uncertainty that preceded it hover over our train like a fog as two strangers come face to face with the volatility of human nature and the limits of their own empathy. Based on a story by the late Douglas Adams, “The Madman” will challenge you to answer the question: “Is it everyone else who’s lost their mind, or is it me?”

Year: 2025, Runtime: 14 minutes, Language: English, Director: David Harris

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

Pleats

When Gayatri, 70s, confesses to having an extramarital affair, her world turns upside down. Nobody in her family wants to listen to what she has to say — except for her granddaughter Meera, a young woman who has a secret of her own.

Year: 2023, Runtime: 14 minutes, Language: English, Director: Anoushka Agrawal

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

Blink

Larry and Carol live in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. On a vacation to Ashtabula, Larry goes on his BLINK app and sees the apartment television suddenly go on, unusual in that there are only Larry and Carol’s two cats who are home. The cats, Mrs. Lovett and Tobias, come upon a fun way to get back at the spying Larry. And as a result, they unintentionally, (or intentionally) use the television news and a contribution to a political campaign to get their parent’s attention, particularly Larry’s. Larry and Carol’s son, Peter stumbles upon the cable channel and other oddities when visiting the apartment to feed the cats in his parent’s absence. From there, everything gets heated up with assumptions about the parent’s apparent closet voting tendencies and affiliations, and ultimately the decision to “cancel” them.

Year: 2025, Runtime: 14 minutes, Language: English, Director: Jeffrey Grover

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

12:00 PM : THE TIES THAT BIND (but in a good way)

Gillyfish

When GILLIAN takes on her partner’s identity to confront their father, she finds a connection she didn't expect in the strange exchange she has with him. A short about healing by proxy, and stepping into new identities.

Year: 2024, Runtime: 11 minutes, Language: English, Director: Sarah Sellman

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

Lost Nation

Winter is closing in on a woman caretaker in rural New Hampshire, with only a visiting loon for company; but when a strange man appears, is he savior or threat? And is he even a man?

Year: 2023, Runtime: 17 minutes, Language: English, Director: Hannah Cabell

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

pansies

After Caleb is almost caught in the back of a pickup truck with Logan Balfe, he has to keep things quiet while driving Logan home.

Year: 2025, Runtime: 13 minutes, Language: English, Director: Jamie J Simiele

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

The Pickup

Early one morning in the vibrant spring of Brooklyn, Drew, a New York City school teacher, sets out to collect items from her local Buy Nothing group. She braces herself for the very first pickup as she turns up at the doorstep of her old high school crush, Caleb. Surprised to find Caleb in a state of emotional turmoil, Drew impulsively invites him to join her for the rest of her pickups across the city. As they journey through Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods, the two friends navigate their way through awkward small talk, nostalgic reminiscence, and frank discussions about their current lives, leading them both to revelations about their past and future selves.

Year: 2024, Runtime: 20 minutes, Language: English, Director: Karen Wang

[Available June 12, 12:00 PM - June 13, 11:00 PM, 2025] Stream online...

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