OIFF 2026 SCHEDULE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH

HELL

A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone. (5 Min, West Hollywood, CA)

Director: Parker Croft
Writer: Spike Milliken, Parker Croft
Cast: Sean Marquette, Sharon Powers, Bill Welden
Producer: Nolan Gould, Parker Croft, Erika Totoro

DIAL – DANEP

A woman desperately dials the number of someone who’s been missing for years, clinging onto their memories together. (3 Min, San Diego, CA)

Director: Aaron Saldaña Cisneros
Cast: Yulisa Frausto Ruano
Producer: Daniel Pederson

DISPLACED

Displaced follows a woman who escapes the devastation of war in her homeland and seeks safety in a new country. There, she struggles with a profound sense of disconnection and guilt—feeling like an outsider, and as if simply surviving in this new place is a betrayal of her roots. Through a symbolic and emotional journey, she comes to understand that while this new land may never truly feel like home, she can carry her culture with her, creating a life that bridges both worlds. (4 Min, Lebanon/United States)

Director: Razan Saylami
Writer: Razan Saylami
Producer: Sehran Khan, Razan Saylami

LOVE LETTERS: A LOVE NOTE TO SKATEBOARDING

In this candid short film, lifelong skateboarder, Sean Taylor, revisits iconic skate spots around San Diego, California—not as a professional, but as someone whose life has been shaped by skateboarding. Through personal reflections and thematic vignettes, this film explores the pieces of skateboarding that combine to express a sincere love for the lifestyle. It’s a tribute to the everyday skater—a love letter to skateboarding that reminds us it’s not about being the best, but about staying connected to what inspires you. (11 Min, Carlsbad, CA)

Director: Alec Yasuo Walsh
Writer: Alec Yasuo Walsh
Cast: Sean Taylor

VIEW TRAILER

CALIFORNIA IS BURNING

In a poetic story of resilience, Altadena residents and first responders recall the damage and community response after the Eaton Fire. (10 Min, Phoenix, AZ)

Director: Bennett Curran
Writer: Bennett Curran
Producer: Bennett Curran

VIEW TRAILER

TO LIE IN THE GRASS IS ENOUGH

A desperate person waits for themself to show up. (9 Min, United States)

Director: Grayson Duvall Wittenbarger
Writer: Grayson Duvall Wittenbarger
Cast: John Bradford

THE LIARS OF BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD

Academy Award-nominee Abigail Breslin presents:
The Liars of Black Mountain Road.

When a couple runs over a stranger’s dog, they compete for the moral high ground at any cost. (12 Min, West Hollywood, CA)

Director: Parker Croft
Writer: Parker Croft, Nolan Gould
Cast: Nolan Gould, Millie Gibbons, Bill Welden
Executive Producer: Abigail Breslin, Elisa Croft | Producer: Nolan Gould, Parker Croft, Magen Ashley Young

HUGH

A reclusive old man watches paint dry; one day he receives a paint that won’t. (23 Min, Carlsbad, CA)

Director: Walker Patterson
Writer: Walker Patterson
Cast: Richard Rivera
Producer: Ryan Van Der Linden, Walker Patterson

THE EDDYSTONE

The Eddystone is a stylized retelling of the true story of the construction and disappearance of the world’s first offshore lighthouse. (4 Min, United States)

Director/Writer: Joss Laurence Ettrick
Animator: Joss Laurence Ettrick

THE WAILING TREES

Gaia is a sound recordist by trade and by passion – whenever she gets a break from her job in the city, she runs off to the mountains to record the sounds of the woods. But when she accidentally captures a pained scream that might be a cry for help, she has to make a choice: bury her head in the sand, or leave everything behind to try and rescue the wild nature she loves. (20 Min, Italy)

Director: Gianpiero Mendini
Writer: Clelia Tonini
Cast: Beatrice Elena Festi, Gabriella Miotto, Simone Panza
Producer: Gianpiero Mendini

VIEW TRAILER

NEW HUMAN

Young botanist grapples with the unsettling idea that her robot clone may be humanity’s best hope—while she questions her own worth in the future. (15 Min, Escondido, CA)

Director: Catherina Cojulun
Writer: Catherina Cojulún, Kiley Giard
Cast: Frida Villeda, Mike Sears
Producer: Axel Cojulún, David Cortez

THE HIRING PROTOCOL

In the near future, Agathe undergoes a job assessment. She soon discovers some unsettling new recruitment techniques—ones that will leave a lasting mark on her. (13 Min, France)

Director: Francois Choquene
Writer: Francois Choquene
Cast: Adele Galloy, Steve Teintcheu
Producer: Francois Choquene, Lea Braquet

TENANCY

A struggling single dad receives a tempting offer to rent his body for a chance at financial security. But at what cost? (24 Min, Burbank, CA)

Director: Tony Arriola
Writer: Tony Arriola, Reid Emmons
Cast: Jae U Kim, Reid Emmons, Donna Hsu
Producer: Steven Kiefer

VIEW TRAILER

JOIN THE CLUB

Dennis Peron is San Francisco’s biggest pot dealer. But when the AIDS epidemic sweeps through his community, Peron realizes that marijuana is more than a good time—it’s medicine. In the wake of his lover’s death, Peron opens the Cannabis Buyers’ Club, a five-story dispensary complete with rainbow murals, drag shows, and doctors onsite. Law enforcement launch a multi-million dollar investigation into the club, but Peron has even larger aspirations, writing a landmark political initiative and leading the fight for change. Following the life of Dennis Peron, Join the Club uncovers the queer history of marijuana legalization in America. (90 Min, Feature Documentary, San Francisco, CA)

Director: Kip Andersen & Chris OConnell
Writer: Paul Marchand, Adam Kaplan
Cast: Dennis Peron
Producer: Chris OConnell

VIEW TRAILER