Get ready for four unforgettable days of storytelling, inspiration, and cinematic discovery at the 29th Annual Arpa International Film Festival. From Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27, 2026, we invite you to join us at the TCL Chinese Theatre (6801 Hollywood Blvd. 3rd floor, Hollywood CA 90028) in the heart of Hollywood.
Experience an exciting lineup of films from around the world, showcasing diverse voices, compelling stories, and remarkable talent. From powerful dramas and thought-provoking documentaries to inspiring shorts and innovative new works, there’s something for every film lover. Meet filmmakers, connect with fellow audiences, and celebrate the art of cinema in one of Hollywood’s most legendary venues. We look forward to sharing this extraordinary festival experience with you.
FILM: X KIDS
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE NARRATIVE FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 01:20:21
DIRECTOR(S): Levon Kosoyan
WRITER(S): Manuk Margaryan
PRODUCER(S): Samvel Tatevossian, Edgar Arijanyan, Samuel Stone
CAST: Donna karen Tatevossian, Haik Vardazarian, Michael Pashan, Val Hovanesian
SYNOPSIS: Long ago, powerful beings known as the Alliance protected civilizations across the galaxy. But when one of their own, Abaddon, betrayed them and built a devastating army of drones, a catastrophic war shattered the Alliance and left the universe vulnerable. As the last survivors secretly train a new generation of heroes, one unsuspecting planet becomes the center of a desperate struggle—because its survival represents the universe’s final hope against Abaddon’s growing empire.
FILM: My Armenian Phantoms
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: France
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:15:00
DIRECTOR(S): Tamara Stepanyan
WRITER(S): Jean-Christophe Ferrari, Tamara Stepanyan
PRODUCER(S): Alice Baldo, Tamara Stepanyan
SYNOPSIS: A filmmaker’s nostalgic journey through Armenian cinema, reflecting on her late father’s acting career and her own artistic path, blending personal memories with a celebration of the country’s cinematic heritage.
FILM: A Sheep Like Me
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: ANIMATED FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:36:22
DIRECTOR(S): Alex Guzman
WRITER(S): Alex Guzman
PRODUCER(S): Alex Guzman
CAST: Alex Guzman, Ani Juarez-Hernandez, Jennifer Shaver
SYNOPSIS:
After a family tragedy, a young sheep sets out on a jounrey to find a place that will accept who he is. His only problem: he dosen’t know who he is.
FILM: BRIDGE -My Little Friends-
YEAR: 2024
COUNTRY: Japan
CATEGORY: ANIMATED FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:09:30
DIRECTOR(S): Kazuyuki Ishihara
WRITER(S): Takahiro Nagano
PRODUCER(S): Makoto Mizusawa
CAST: Natsumi Kawaida, Yuichi Nakamura, Tomori Kusunoki, Shiori Izawa, Ahiru Ohira, Natsu Yorita
SYNOPSIS:
“I’ll take you to see Shiro. That’s a promise!” Jin, a cat, promised Mugi, who was saddened by the loss of her beloved dog, Shiro. Jin, who loves Mugi, hears the story of the “Rainbow Bridge” from his owner, Aki, and decides to take Mugi to see Shiro at the foot of the rainbow. Can Jin save Mugi from her grief? Joined by the neighborhood pigeons and squirrels, Jin embarks on his greatest adventure.
FILM: Kargoosh (Deaf Ear)
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Iran
CATEGORY: ANIMATED FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:04:46
DIRECTOR(S): Reza Sarbakhsh, Ali Jamali Motlagh
WRITER(S): Reza Sarbakhsh
PRODUCER(S): Reza Sarbakhsh, Ali Jamali Motlagh
SYNOPSIS:
On the way home, Mahan, a happy and kind child, experiences an accident. Now he needs to be heard and cared for…
FILM: My Grandmother is a Skydiver
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Germany, Ukraine
CATEGORY: ANIMATED FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:10:00
DIRECTOR(S): Polina Piddubna
WRITER(S): Polina Piddubna
PRODUCER(S): Polina Piddubna
SYNOPSIS:
Alfyia, a joyful young woman in 1960s Central Asia, is actively parachuting and studying to become a midwife, when she receives an extraordinary phone call from her granddaughter in 2022. She is worried about her grandmother’s safety amid the invasion of Ukraine. In this intergenerational conversation across time and space, the granddaughter tries to restore and rethink family memory and her own ethnic identity, break the endless cycle of collective trauma and reflect on the meaning of human life.
FILM: Cavaradossi’s Aria (Music video)
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Ukraine
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:03:08
DIRECTOR(S): Oleksandr Shvets
WRITER(S): Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa
PRODUCER(S): Semen Khanin
CAST: Anna Khanina
SYNOPSIS:
“E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca is a farewell to life, love, and hope.
Short meaning:
Before his execution, Mario Cavaradossi remembers his beloved Tosca — her eyes, their kisses, and the happiness they shared together. At the very moment he is about to lose everything, he suddenly realizes how beautiful life truly was.
The aria ends with a heartbreaking understanding:
He has never loved life as deeply as he does now, when it is slipping away.
FILM: I’m Back
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Ukraine
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:04:11
DIRECTOR(S): Ilya Noyabrev
WRITER(S): Kvitka Gaevska
PRODUCER(S): Semen Khanin
CAST: Anna Khanina
SYNOPSIS:
… “I’m back” is a heartfelt song about coming back home after a long absence. The singer reflects on the warmth and familiarity of her homeland, where every breath feels easier and every moment more meaningful. Through vivid imagery of maternal love and the embrace of the earth, the song captures the deep emotional connection to one’s roots, offering a sense of peace, freedom, and rediscovered desire for life….
FILM: Julene
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:03:24
DIRECTOR(S): Johnny Romantic
WRITER(S):Johnny Romantic
PRODUCER(S):Johnny Romantic
CAST:Johnny Romantic
SYNOPSIS:
“Julene” is a tender, romantic ballad about the magical first meeting with a woman whose beauty and warmth linger in the singer’s heart. Filled with promises of devotion, it celebrates a love that feels destined and unbreakable.
FILM: My Love
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Ukraine
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:03:50
DIRECTOR(S): Ilia Noyabrov
PRODUCER(S): Semen Khanin
CAST: Anna Khanina
SYNOPSIS:
… This song is about the love of a Ukrainian woman. About the feelings that fill her life with warmth and light. And thanks to which she looks to the future with hope and confidence……
FILM: Smoldering-Smoldering
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Ukraine
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:04:41
DIRECTOR(S): Ilya Noyabrev
PRODUCER(S): Semen Khanin
CAST: Hanna Khanina
SYNOPSIS:
… This song is about the faith of the Ukrainian people in victory and a bright future. It vividly illustrates the realities of our present day…..
FILM: Two Part Harmony
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: MUSIC VIDEOS
RUNNING TIME: 00:03:49
DIRECTOR(S): Spencer Daniels
WRITER(S): Johnny Anthony Garcia
PRODUCER(S): Johnny Anthony Garcia
CAST: Bobby Anthony Garcia, Gaia Brooks
SYNOPSIS:
Two Part Harmony” is a reflective love song about realizing when a relationship is out of sync and longing for a deeper, simpler connection that truly feels like home.
FILM: Etched in Memory
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Qatar, Ukraine, United Kingdom
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:34:12
DIRECTOR(S): Christina Maria Paschyn
WRITER(S): Christina Maria Paschyn
PRODUCER(S): Christina Maria Paschyn, Rustem Muratov
CAST:
SYNOPSIS:
Etched in Memory follows Crimean Tatar activists Zarema and Eskender Bariiev as they raise three children under missile fire in war-scarred Kyiv—while also fighting to liberate their occupied homeland, Crimea. Between air raids, they campaign to free political prisoners like Nariman Dzhelyal and lead efforts to rescue abducted museum director Leila Ibrahimova. They also stand beside fellow refugees: Rustem, seeking justice for his teenage son killed in a strike, and Elena, mourning her fallen soldier husband.
But as global attention shifts and Western politicians threaten the unthinkable—recognizing Crimea as Russian—a haunting question remains. Will the Crimean Tatars succeed in reclaiming their homeland, or will the world decide their fate without them?
Both intimate and urgent, the film unveils a conflict within a conflict: Ukraine’s Indigenous Muslim community battling for survival, justice, and the right to return home.
Get ready to strike a pose! 📸✨ The red carpet at the Film Festival is the perfect place to capture those unforgettable moments. So, bring your smiles, your glamour, and your best angles, because we want to see you shine!
Let’s celebrate film, fashion, and fun – and make some amazing memories together. Don’t forget to share your fabulous photos with us using #ArpaFilmFestRedCarpet! 🎬🌟
Here’s to a night of glitz, glamour, and gorgeous pictures!
FILM: Other Side of Fame
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Canada
CATEGORY: FEATURE NARRATIVE FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 01:33:00
DIRECTOR(S): Erik H. Bernard
WRITER(S): Erik H. Bernard
PRODUCER(S): Denise Bernard, Sonia Nassery Cole, Jasmin Espada, Rhonda Lanouette, Erik Bernard
CAST: Sveva Alviti, Newton Mayenge, Al Coronel, Sara Pallini, Diana Madison, Saro Emirze
SYNOPSIS:
Other Side of Fame is a dramatic exploration of ambition, identity, exploitation, and the hidden cost of celebrity. As an actress pursues the career she has spent her life chasing, she enters a world where opportunity and manipulation become increasingly difficult to distinguish. Behind the glamour of the entertainment industry, she is forced to confront the compromises demanded of women seeking success and ultimately decide whether achieving her dream is worth losing control of her own story.
FILM: Architects Of Echoes
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 00:09:43
DIRECTOR(S): Marius Iliescu
WRITER(S): Zachary Laoutides
PRODUCER(S): Jasmin Espada, Monica Esmeralda Leon
CAST: Zachary Laoutides, Emmanuel Isaac, Marius Iliescu
SYNOPSIS:
Architects Of Echoes is a cinematic composition that, under the directorial vision of Marius Iliescu, unites the music of Joelsiah A. Jones, Andrew Torossian, and Zachary Laoutides & The Praise Project into a singular visual and musical experience inspired by the feature film Where Sweet Dreams Die.
FILM: AYG [Dawn]YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Armenia
CATEGORY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 00:20:22
DIRECTOR(S): Arnold Ghazaryan, Siranush Vardanyan, Maria Matinyan
WRITER(S): Siranush Vardanyan, Maria Matinyan, Arnold Ghazaryan
PRODUCER(S): Maria Matinyan
CAST: Arman Musayelyan, Nver Khachatryan
SYNOPSIS:
AYG [Dawn] follows teenagers Arman and Nver—childhood friends from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) whose lives were forever changed by war and forced displacement.
As they rebuild their futures in unfamiliar villages across Armenia, their friendship remains a powerful source of strength and connection, despite distance, loss, and uncertainty.
FILM: I Wanted To Hear Your Voice
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 00:12:00
DIRECTOR(S): James Pellerito
WRITER(S): James Pellerito
PRODUCER(S): David Barba
CAST: Mary Pellerito, James Pellerito
SYNOPSIS:
After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving.
FILM: If You Believe
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 00:10:35
DIRECTOR(S): Samira Fuller-Farquhar
WRITER(S): Samira Fuller-Farquhar
PRODUCER(S): Samira Fuller-Farquhar, Tristan Denton
CAST: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joni Palmer
SYNOPSIS:
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of The Wiz on Broadway, “If You Believe” features original cast members Dee Dee Bridgewater (Glinda) and Joni Palmer (Munchkin/Dancer). Directed by Palmer’s granddaughter, Samira Fuller-Farquhar, the film captures Dee Dee and Joni in conversation about the legendary 1975 production and an original performance of Glinda’s iconic song, “If You Believe.”
FILM: Shades of Violet
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 00:17:52
DIRECTOR(S): Samuel G Lasko
WRITER(S):
PRODUCER(S):
CAST: Violet Maimbourg
SYNOPSIS: Masters of Fine Arts student Violet struggles to make her most ambitious multimedia project to date.
FILM: Awards Ceremony
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Israel
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:16:59
DIRECTOR(S): Shlomit Rub
WRITER(S): Shlomit Rub
PRODUCER(S): Shlomit Rub, Koral Dayan Cohen, Assaf Cohen
CAST: Moran Alon, Elinor Gal, Yuval Carmel, Adar Kaballo
SYNOPSIS:
Moments before a school awards ceremony, the principal locks the Minister of Education — who was invited to the ceremony as a guest of honor — inside the classroom where they once studied together.
There, the principal confronts her about a sexual assault that took place twenty years earlier — during which the minister trapped her in the room where it happened. She threatens to expose her crime at the ceremony unless the minister resigns immediately.
The ceremony becomes a ticking time bomb as each of the women locked inside the classroom wages a desperate battle for her soul.
FILM: Badia
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Spain
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:25:17
DIRECTOR(S): Marcel Buisan
WRITER(S): Marcel Buisan
PRODUCER(S): Josep Oller, Marc Pascual, Marcel Buisan
CAST: Oriol Vázquez, Alicia Martí, Joan Frank Charansonnet, Enric Arquimbau
SYNOPSIS:
In 1925, Miquel Badia, a young Catalan separatist, took part in a conspiracy to assassinate King Alfonso XIII of Spain. As a result, his life became a spiral of struggle and suffering, but also of power and violence, when the party he belonged to succeeded in bringing the republic to Catalonia.
FILM: Captain Lima
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Brazil
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:20:00
DIRECTOR(S): Filipe Carvalho
WRITER(S): Filipe Carvalho, Dandara Cipriano
PRODUCER(S): Pollyana Melo
CAST: Tay Lopez, Isadora Melo, Sharlene Esse, Ton de Souza, Nilo Pedrosa
SYNOPSIS:
In the future no one could be free. A man returns to Capitão Lima Street, in downtown Recife, trying to relive the night he kissed another man for the first time. But is it possible to relive the freedom of a memory?
FILM: Darker Than Night (2026)
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United Arab Emirates
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:12:00
DIRECTOR(S): Mohammad Rezaie
WRITER(S): Mohammad Rezaie
PRODUCER(S): Ameera Teano
CAST: Abdulrazzaq Al Khaja, Pascale Daher
SYNOPSIS:
When Noor comes to grips with an identity crisis, she finds herself at the tail end of her marriage with Malik.
FILM: In The Still Of The Night
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Mexico
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:15:30
DIRECTOR(S): Aristides Mantilla
WRITER(S): Aristides Mantilla
PRODUCER(S): Aristides Mantilla, Paola Mantilla
CAST: Yalitza Aparicio, Leonardo Najar, Memo Villegas, Jesus Ochoa
SYNOPSIS:
On a Day of the Dead night, Jesús, a 10-year-old Mexican kid, longs to meet his paternal grandfather, Rubén, whom he never met. Convinced that Rubén will visit him that night, Jesus waits anxiously by the altar, but he falls asleep. To his surprise, he is awakened by the figure of his grandfather, who takes him on an emotional night journey where they get to know each other. Jesus finally met his paternal grandfather and Rubén was able to send a last message to his son Mateo, asking for forgiveness. By communicating the message the next morning, Jesus finally convinces his parents of the reality of his encounter with Rubén, confirming the existence of visits from the afterlife on the Day of the Dead, leading them to believe in the colorful Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead and to find reconciliation and healing in the family.
FILM: SORRY SORRY SORRY
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: South Korea
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:23:46
DIRECTOR(S): Shin Hea KIM
WRITER(S): Shin Hea KIM
PRODUCER(S): Do Hyun KIM, Hoon Soo KIM
CAST: Chung Hee BYUN, Byeng Ki KIM
SYNOPSIS:
Suna, 70, lives in a 50-year-old traditional Hanok with her 80-year-old husband, Ihan. Once a devoted provider, Ihan has been bedridden for five years following a stroke. As their children remain distant and Ihan rejects outside caregivers out of pride, the entire burden of his survival falls solely on Suna. Despite his physical dependence, Ihan’s ego remains inflated; clinging to his past contributions, he ignores Suna’s own aging and agony. He stubbornly refuses nursing home care, fearing he will be treated like a discarded object, while Suna quietly dreads the insurmountable medical costs following his long retirement.
For five years, Suna has handled Ihan’s most private needs, enduring constant nausea and physical breakdown. Her doctor has issued stern warnings about her deteriorating back and wrists, yet Ihan calls for her dozens of times a day for the simplest tasks. Crucially, he has stopped calling her by name, addressing her only as “Yura’s Mom,” stripping her of her identity as a wife and a woman. The love and trust they once shared have vanished, replaced by a grueling cycle of labor.
In an era that celebrates the “100-Year Life” as a blessing, Suna and Ihan are trapped in a painful debt of mutual sorrow and “sorry”—how long must they endure this life of suffering? Resenting a reality where longevity has become a “punishment” of the elderly caring for the elderly, Suna is pushed by Ihan’s incessant demands to replace a lightbulb late one night. In streets vibrant with Christmas festivities, she feels like a wretched outsider and seeks refuge in a cathedral. Kneeling in the confessional, she admits to a shocking sin.
FILM: Spheres
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Germany
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:05:52
DIRECTOR(S): Martin Gerigk
WRITER(S): Martin Gerigk
SYNOPSIS:
Spheres is an homage to life, a poetic essay that drifts through a series of expanding spheres, each revealing a different layer of our shared reality, from the microscopic to the mythical. The film is an exploration of how the smallest vibrations of existence echo outward into the vast architecture of being and cosmos, a breathing meditation designed to remind us of the wonders of our incomprehensibly beautiful world.
Spheres invites viewers to look closely, to listen deeply, and to remember that every sphere – no matter how small or vast – is part of one continuous unfolding. The film is an invitation to see life not as a ladder but as a constellation of spheres: interdependent, fragile, and astonishing.
FILM: The Trap
YEAR: 2024
COUNTRY: Poland
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:08:55
DIRECTOR(S): Vitalii Havura
WRITER(S): Vitalii Havura
PRODUCER(S): Filip Marczewski
CAST: Alana Ivory, Mykola Kryvoruchko
SYNOPSIS:
Ukraine, 2022. Kherson under russian occupation. Son, who is involved with the armed underground, visits his mother to find out if she has given the russians his whereabouts. The woman is certain that the occupation is actually salvation, and that everyone should cooperate with the russians. The mother and son quarrel. The already tense situation results in an unexpected twist as the son decides to leave.
FILM: Dear Lara
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Canada, United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:34:00
DIRECTOR(S): Lara St. John
WRITER(S): Lara St. John, Patrick Hamm, Christie Herring
PRODUCER(S): Patrick Hamm
CAST: Lara St. John, Lusiana Lukman, Katherine Needleman, Samuel Schultz, Heather Bird, Mascha van Sloten, Lisamarie Vana, Marci Hamilton, Anne Midgette, Sammy Sussman, Okke Westdorp, Scott St. John
SYNOPSIS:
When violinist Lara St. John goes public about her own assault as a child at an elite music school, she uncovers a global pattern of abuse in the classical music world and joins fellow survivors to confront an entrenched culture of silence.
Get ready to strike a pose! 📸✨ The red carpet at the Film Festival is the perfect place to capture those unforgettable moments. So, bring your smiles, your glamour, and your best angles, because we want to see you shine!
Let’s celebrate film, fashion, and fun – and make some amazing memories together. Don’t forget to share your fabulous photos with us using #ArpaFilmFestRedCarpet! 🎬🌟
Here’s to a night of glitz, glamour, and gorgeous pictures!
FILM: Where Sweet Dreams Die
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE NARRATIVE FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 01:38:45
DIRECTOR(S): Mirza Esho
WRITER(S): Zachary Laoutides, Phillip M Goldfarb, Lawrence Turman
PRODUCER(S): Mónica Esmeralda León, Emmanuel Isaac, Phillip M Goldfarb, Lawrence Turman, Jasmin Espada, Marius Iliescu
CAST: Zachary Laoutides, Emmanuel Isaac, Marius Iliescu
SYNOPSIS:
From the creators of Taxi Driver and American History X comes a raw portrait of obsession and rage in modern America.
Luca Brunello, an Italian-American restaurateur reeling from the loss of his New York landmark, becomes fixated on a Middle Eastern refugee cab driver whom he believes has taken the life he deserved. As Luca’s American Dream crumbles, paranoia takes hold, and he spirals into a dangerous delusion—blaming the government and the president for his failures. What begins as quiet resentment erupts into a volatile collision of identity, fear, and desperation on the streets of a divided city.
FILM: I Remember Your Voice
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Armenia
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:00:27
DIRECTOR(S): Arayik Sargsyan, Nikolay Melikyan
WRITER(S): Arayik Sargsyan, Nikolay Melikyan
PRODUCER(S): Nikolay Melikyan, Arayik Sargsyan
CAST: Martin Aloyan
SYNOPSIS:
“I Remember Your Voice” is the first feature-length documentary to chronicle the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of 120,000 Armenians from Artsakh in September 2023. Through six deeply intimate stories of survival and loss, the film presents raw testimonies of human suffering: a wounded woman taken captive alongside her neighbors, a mother who stepped out to buy chocolate for her children and never saw them alive again, and a mother who still keeps her son’s gravestone at home. These accounts represent only a fraction of the thousands of untold stories carried by an entire population. More than a film, it is a lasting historical testimony and a call to remember voices that must never be silenced.
FILM: Animal
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:15:25
DIRECTOR(S): Matt Low
WRITER(S): Matt Low
PRODUCER(S): Matt Low
CAST: Lexi Stein, Robert Miano
SYNOPSIS:
A therapist with a dark past gets a late night visit from a suicidal stranger.
FILM: AVA
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:11:12
DIRECTOR(S): Leon Lozano
WRITER(S): Leon Lozano
PRODUCER(S): Leon Lozano, Garrett E.B. Thompson, Jessica L. Funches, Natasha Ward-Shaw
CAST: Ella Joyce, Leslie “Big Lez” Segar, Bailey Renée, Kabi Stevens, Kareem Ferguson
SYNOPSIS:
In 2050 Los Angeles, environmental injustice has left historically Black and Brown communities exposed to toxic air while wealthier neighborhoods enjoy purified environments. Seventy-year-old Ava “Mama” Young, a former world-famous singer, is confined to her home, too fragile to face the outside world. When her daughter Marcia offers her a chance to reconnect to the world through an android built in her likeness, Mama Young resists. To her, Ava is a replacement. “I ain’t dead yet.” Marcia eventually convinces her to connect. For the first time in years, Mama Young steps outside through her android form, rediscovering the beauty of her neighborhood, the joy of dancing in her garden, and the sound of her own youthful voice. Then comes an unexpected reunion: Angel, an android modeled after Mama Young’s first love and musical partner. As they reconnect through the music they created decades ago, Mama Young begins to see Ava not as a replacement, but as a final chance to reclaim her voice. Together, they harness music, technology, and their shared history to fight for a healthier future and reclaim the communities they call home.
FILM: Avagunthan
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: India
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:22:27
DIRECTOR(S): Dhani Jhankal
WRITER(S): Dhani Jhankal
PRODUCER(S): Anita Ordia, Good Boii Productions
CAST: Ravi Jhankal, Sunita Rajwar, Annapurna Soni, Basu Soni
SYNOPSIS:
A talented singer, Akla Bai belonging to the singing community of Rajasthan sees the dream of becoming a famous singer who sings without her veil. Her biggest roadblock is the community she belongs to who is intolerant towards women ever discarding their veil or singing in public.
She, along with her husband, Nazar apply to a singing contest that they get selected for and make a plan to run to Mumbai. The night before they are about to leave, they get caught by their aunt , Grushma Bai, who gives her blessings to Nazar but stops Akla Bai from going as she has suffered the consequences of seeing a similar dream .
Supported by original soulful rajasthani folk music, the movie is about women who dare to dream but have their wings cut off by the unjust and cruel traditions of society, that hasn’t moved forward even though the world has seen tremendous progress in all other spheres. Unless the society makes a change and breaks a generational cycle, this tradition will continue from one generation to another and we will continue losing the voice of these women to these customs.
FILM: Dance with Me
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:16:00
DIRECTOR(S): Nicholas Paskhover
WRITER(S): Nicholas Paskhover
PRODUCER(S): Sam Shapiro, Anthony DiMaria
CAST: Laraine Newman, Elya Baskin
SYNOPSIS:
As the boundaries between past and present blur, ANYA (LARAINE NEWMAN) fights to hold onto SASHA (ELYA BASKIN), an elderly Holocaust survivor with dementia, as he struggles to distinguish memory from reality.
FILM: Going Dark
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Australia
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:05:57
DIRECTOR(S): Tigran Tovmasian
WRITER(S): Bethany Dewhurst
PRODUCER(S): Bethany Dewhurst
CAST: Bethany Dewhurst, Joshua Dewhurst
SYNOPSIS:
In an Australia ruled by an A.I. controlled regime, the last remaining neighbourhood is systematically hunted and transformed into obedient humanoids through the forced injection of a microchip. As militants close in, a sister and her brother who has Down Syndrome, attempt a desperate escape. When their plan collapses, the cost of freedom becomes devastatingly clear.
FILM: Light Bunny
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:15:00
DIRECTOR(S): Valerian Zamel
WRITER(S): Valerian Zamel
PRODUCER(S): Valerian Zamel
CAST: Karole Foreman, Eric B. Anthony, Eric Davis, Ethan Smith
SYNOPSIS:
Carmen, a grieving mother, struggles to move forward six months after the death of her son, Luke. Her days are consumed by isolation and guilt. One night, she receives a mysterious phone call. On the other end is a voice claiming to be Luke, speaking from an “in between” place.
At first, Carmen is overwhelmed by the bittersweet connection, believing this might be her chance to make amends for the regrets she carries. But as the call continues, Luke’s voice becomes increasingly desperate, asking for her help to “move on” by providing something only she can give: her credit card information.
The voice is eerily accurate, mimicking Luke’s tone, cadence, and familiar phrases. Carmen wrestles with the impossible question: could this really be her son reaching out, or is it something more sinister? As suspicion grows, she realizes the truth, the voice isn’t Luke, but a scammer using AI to replicate his speech and exploit her grief.
Memories flood back, of Luke’s love for art, his restless spirit, and their final moments together. In a moment of clarity, Carmen refuses to give in. Letting go of the fake Luke, she reclaims her real memories and begins to tidy her home, a metaphor for restoring her life. As morning sunlight fills the house, a glimmering reflection dances on the walls, evoking the “light bunny” Luke used to create with his wristwatch. It’s a sign that the real Luke’s love and light will always remain with her, even as she moves forward.
FILM: Mort
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:13:02
DIRECTOR(S): Larry Ziegelman, Terry Ziegelman
WRITER(S): Larry Ziegelman, Terry Ziegelman
PRODUCER(S): Aaron Wertheimer
CAST: Greg Pragel, Steve Rozic, Ronald Conner, Leonel Garza, Sawyer Felkey
SYNOPSIS:
A risk-averse actuary’s all-nighter spirals into absurdity when an unexpected visitor claiming to be Death, forces him to reevaluate his life choices as the clock ticks down.
FILM: Poisoned Skies
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:10:45
DIRECTOR(S): Caroline Friend
WRITER(S): Caroline Friend
PRODUCER(S): Nadia Fedchin, Caroline Friend
CAST: Julia Goldani Telles, Christopher Stanley, Kyle Mac, Michael Otis, Samuel Dunning
SYNOPSIS:
In 1954, an ambitious scientist on the brink of presenting groundbreaking pollution research is forced to make a moral decision when she becomes the target of a mining company responsible for a deadly smog disaster. Based on a true story.
FILM: Shulka
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: Argentina
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:16:10
DIRECTOR(S): María Cecilia Casanova, Raquel María Soaje
WRITER(S): María Cecilia Casanova, Raquel María Soaje
PRODUCER(S): Dana Micaela Monteros, Mateo Dragone
CAST: Sol Gimenez, Isaias Salvatierra, Rosario Altamiranda
SYNOPSIS:
Lucila, a shulka from Tafí del Valle, bound by ancestral mandate to care for her mother, dreams of a different life. When she finally dares to ask for permission to change the destiny imposed upon her, her mother has died.
FILM: Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:03:00
DIRECTOR(S): Hrag Yedalian
WRITER(S):
PRODUCER(S): Brandon D. Lamar
CAST:
SYNOPSIS:
In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Altadena’s historic Black community confronts devastating loss—and a high-stakes fight to preserve a cultural legacy generations in the making.
Get ready to strike a pose! 📸✨ The red carpet at the Film Festival is the perfect place to capture those unforgettable moments. So, bring your smiles, your glamour, and your best angles, because we want to see you shine!
Let’s celebrate film, fashion, and fun – and make some amazing memories together. Don’t forget to share your fabulous photos with us using #ArpaFilmFestRedCarpet! 🎬🌟
Here’s to a night of glitz, glamour, and gorgeous pictures!
FILM: In the Land of Arto
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: France
CATEGORY: FEATURE NARRATIVE FILM
RUNNING TIME: 01:44:00
DIRECTOR: Tamara Stepanyan
WRITERS: Tamara Stepanyan, Jean-Christophe Ferrari, Jean Breschand, Romy Coccia di Ferro, Jihane Chouaib
PRODUCERS: Camille Gentet, Stéphane Jourdain
SYNOPSIS: Celine seeks to legalize her husband Arto’s death in Armenia, uncovering his lies about war service and desertion. Her quest through war-scarred lives reveals a deeper truth: how to properly lay a ghost to rest.
FILM: Hell Hath No Fury
YEAR: 2023
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE NARRATIVE FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 01:51:00
DIRECTOR(S): Rustam Vakilov
WRITER(S): Dennis Wilder
PRODUCER(S): Karbis Sarafyan, Andrew Pearce
CAST: Miles Crawford
SYNOPSIS:
When Aidan, an agnostic psychiatrist, is turned away from his grieving wife by a mysterious temptress, he discovers their story may be eons in the making.
FILM: Breathe, Brother, Breathe
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:18:52
DIRECTOR(S): Arman Khaghani
WRITER(S): Arman Khaghani
PRODUCER(S): Quinnolyn Benson-Yates, Ziyu “Arwen” Wang
CAST: Varak Krikorian, Daylyn Alaysia, Milad Dylan, Mina Kamouie, Arek Tatevossian, Lou Slocum
SYNOPSIS:
An asthmatic Iranian-American high schooler learns the trumpet to keep a precious friendship intact, reconnect with his emotionally distant family, and take control of his fragmented life.
FILM: Hania’s Home
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: Canada, United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:16:00
DIRECTOR(S): Eemaan Qadri
WRITER(S): Eemaan Qadri
PRODUCER(S): Sonia Bhatia, Anna O’Donnell
CAST: Sanchita Malik,Ronak Ghandi, Shefali Saini
SYNOPSIS:
When Hania leaves her homeland of Pakistan, she carries an identity she now refuses to let go. Months later, she is pregnant, and moves to the United States with her husband and daughter. As they start to assimilate, Hania is left feeling isolated. She doesn’t want to lose her culture, her native tongue… but will she lose a connection with her family instead?
FILM: IMPERFECT (HEEVAND)
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:17:11
DIRECTOR(S): Adeh Baghdasarian, Zholi Minasyan
WRITER(S): Zholi Minasyan
PRODUCER(S): Adeh Baghdasarian
CAST: Arthur Donahue, Serly Artinian, Georgi Almazyan, Anahit Arzrumtsyan, Mary Jabagchouria
SYNOPSIS:
After being rejected by the woman he believes is the love of his life, a lonely manstruggles to cope with the loss. Unable to accept reality, his mind creates an idealized worldwhere she returns his love, and together they build the relationship he always dreamed of. As theline between fantasy and reality begins to blur, subtle cracks expose the truth behind hisimagined life. Forced to confront the devastating realization that everything he cherished existedonly in his mind, he faces an unbearable emotional collapse that leads to a tragic and hauntingconclusion.
FILM: One Beat at a Time
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:06:51
DIRECTOR(S): Garrett Glassell
WRITER(S): Christopher Yerikian
PRODUCER(S): Garrett Glassell, Christopher Yerikian
CAST: Christopher Yerikian
SYNOPSIS:
One Beat at a Time is a poetic narrative short about a man confronting a life-altering heart diagnosis and the fear that follows. Told entirely through voiceover, the film traces his journey from denial and anger to acceptance and resilience. As he faces mortality and love in equal measure, he learns to listen not just to his heart, but to the life it continues to offer.
FILM: She Fell From Space
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:15:00
DIRECTOR(S): Seriina Covarrubias
WRITER(S): Seriina Covarrubias
PRODUCER(S): Seriina Covarrubias, Nidhin Patel
CAST: John Devilman, Joshua Florhaug, Mai Sato, Thomas Später
SYNOPSIS: Cooper, a burned-out tattoo artist recovering from the LA fires, has his world upended when a spaceship crashes in his backyard and a fierce alien woman, Lyra, emerges. As he tries to hide her from his emotional neighbor Jimmy and rule-obsessed HOA enforcer Whitney, Cooper is pulled into suburban chaos and unexpected connection, learning that just when life seems surreal enough, the universe always has more to drop from the sky.
FILM: The Last Kiss
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:05:24
DIRECTOR(S): Aurel Naqi
WRITER(S): Aurel Naqi
PRODUCER(S): Aurel Naqi
CAST: Jenna Elise, Arber Loci, Hana Balaj, Jacklyn Del Signore, Romel Pryor, Robert Smith
SYNOPSIS:
When a reformed mobster and a police chief’s daughter plan a new life together the ghosts of his past resurface with deadly consequences.
FILM: We Are Not the Same
YEAR: 2024
COUNTRY: Panama
CATEGORY: SHORT FILMS
RUNNING TIME: 00:39:27
DIRECTOR(S): Jesús Castillo
WRITER(S): Jesús Castillo
PRODUCER(S): Jesús Castillo, Kiu Hung Yau
CAST: Antonio Rosello, Andrés Batista, Mike Pérez
SYNOPSIS:
Diego leads a double life. On the soccer field, he tries to fit into the expectations of masculinity surrounding him; outside of it, he dreams of playing a transvestite in his favorite stage play. When he finally gets the chance to audition, he must decide how much he is willing to risk to pursue that dream and show the world who he truly is.
FILM: There’s No Place Like Home
YEAR: 2026
COUNTRY: USA
CATEGORY: FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM
RUNNING TIME: 01:17:00
DIRECTOR: Diana Madison
WRITER: Diana Madison
PRODUCER: Ruzanna Kegeyan, Gohar Khojabagyan, Shant Petrossian
SYNOPSIS:
There’s No Place Like Home is a documentary from Diana Madison telling the story of Artsakh’s Armenians in their own words — the blockade, the forced displacement, and the meaning of a homeland that can be taken but not erased.
In September 2023, more than a hundred thousand Armenians left Artsakh in a matter of days. They left behind villages their families had lived in for centuries, churches carved into hillsides, and graves they could not take with them. There’s No Place Like Home is the story of that departure, told by the people who made it.
Filmed on the ground in Goris as displaced families crossed into Armenia, and later in Van Ardi, the documentary gathers first-hand accounts of the nine-month blockade that preceded the exodus and of the journey out. There are no talking-head experts here and no geopolitical scoreboard — only the people themselves, describing what they endured and what they carried.
What emerges is a portrait of home as something larger than a house. As director Diana Madison puts it, home is not a physical structure; it is centuries of generations having lived on sacred land. The land was taken. The spirit was not.
The film was made almost entirely by an Armenian crew, including videographer Arnold Ghazaryan, a veteran of the 2020 Artsakh War. It was born, in Madison’s words, out of frustration that “our stories were being manipulated by propaganda and oil money” — an effort to put the record in the hands of those who lived it.
FILM: ELVIS, ROCKY & ME: The Carol Connors Story
YEAR: 2025
COUNTRY: United States
CATEGORY: FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
RUNNING TIME: 01:14:00
DIRECTOR(S): Alex Rotaru
WRITER(S): Dahlia Heyman, Alex Rotaru
PRODUCER(S): Chip Rosenbloom, Dahlia Heyman, Matt Einstein, Alex Rotaru, Julian Warshaw, Brendan Crane
CAST: Carol Connors, Talia Shire, David Shire, Barbi Benton, Beverly Sassoon, Dionne Warwick, Diane Warren, Bill Conti, Irwin Winkler, Mike Tyson
SYNOPSIS:
She was Phil Spector’s muse… Elvis Presley’s lover… Rocky Balboa’s lyricist… and the most famous Diva that you’ve never heard of.
This feature biographical documentary of legendary, twice Academy Award-nominated, hit singer and songwriter, Carol Connors, tells the tale of her wild ride through the film and music industries. Featuring her friends Talia Shire, Bill Conti, Dionne Warwick, Irwin Winkler, Diane Warren, Mike Tyson, Barbi Benton, David Shire, and many more.
Carol’s story builds in unexpected ways… every moment you think her story has ended something new and amazing happens.
Get ready to strike a pose! 📸✨ The red carpet at the Film Festival is the perfect place to capture those unforgettable moments. So, bring your smiles, your glamour, and your best angles, because we want to see you shine!
Let’s celebrate film, fashion, and fun – and make some amazing memories together. Don’t forget to share your fabulous photos with us using #ArpaFilmFestRedCarpet! 🎬🌟
Here’s to a night of glitz, glamour, and gorgeous pictures!
Lights, Camera, Awards! 🏆🎬
Join us for the highly anticipated Film Festival Awards Ceremony, where we celebrate the incredible creative efforts of our talented filmmakers! It’s a night dedicated to recognizing excellence, honoring the best in cinema, and acknowledging the passion and hard work that goes into every frame.
Get ready to witness history as we present awards to deserving artists, creators, and storytellers. Plus, you’ll have the chance to see your favorite celebrities, along with the brilliant cast and crew, as they walk the red carpet and gather to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Don’t miss out on an evening of glamour, inspiration, and unforgettable moments!