OIFF 2026 SCHEDULE – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28th

FORGED

As he sets his sights on an unprecedented run at the 2026 Olympics, Nick Baumgartner reflects on the journey that made him the oldest Olympic gold medalist in U.S. Snowboarding history. Forged delves into his roots in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula, his relentless drive, and the unshakable spirit that has defined his career. It’s a testament to perseverance, grit, and the power of refusing to give up. (5 Min, United States)

Director: Greg Kubik
Cast: Nick Baumgartner
Producer: Justin Silvis, Greg Kubik

FORWARD

Marine Corps Major Ashley Christman is battling stage four cancer—but she refuses to give up. Determined to stay in the Corps, she pushes her body to the limit, competing in elite-level endurance sports to prove she’s still fit to serve. As her wife Melissa and their young son Archer watch in awe as Christman fights not just for her career, but to leave behind a legacy of strength. With every grueling challenge, she defies the odds, knowing that even if cancer takes her, the legacy of people she’s touched and love for her family will live on. (37 Min, Elon, NC)

Director/Writer: Alex Luchsinger
Cast: Ashley Christman, Melissa DePriest
Producer: Alex Luchsinger

TIDES OF TIME

In a world obsessed with the new, a man sets out to restore an old surfboard. This simple act becomes a meditation on our relationship with time and consumption. Through this restoration ritual, Tides of Time blurs temporal boundaries to explore what drives us to keep, repair, and make things last. The film questions our consumer reflexes and reveals the quiet resistance of those who choose to revive rather than replace. Between acknowledged nostalgia and lucidity about the absurdity of our attachments, the film reveals the quiet beauty of objects that resist planned obsolescence. A poetic and subversive reflection on permanence in a disposable world. (5 Min, France)

Director/Writer: Grégory Mignard, Yoann Renambot
Cast: Lewis Arnold
Producer: Captain Yvon

THE DOLPHINS

The Dolphins is a heartfelt documentary exploring the history and impact of one of San Francisco’s most iconic institutions: the Dolphin Swimming and Boating Club. The film centers on a group of longtime female members, who have been swimming in the Bay’s frigid waters daily for decades. Without wet-suits, fanfare, or ego, these women embody a rare relationship with the natural world: one built on endurance, reverence, and deep personal connection. Their stories unfold against the dramatic backdrop of the San Francisco Bay, where water, weather, and tide are as central as the people themselves. (10 Min, San Francisco, CA)

Director: Gaby Scott
Cast: Joni Beemsterboer, Suzanne Heim, Diane Walton
Producer: Gaby Scott

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JULES IS ONE OF THEM

Windsurfing is a sport that experienced its golden age in the 1980s. Since this period, the sport has continued to lose popularity to the point of almost becoming a forgotten sport even among board sports enthusiasts. However, today windsurfing still benefits from a strong community of passioned maniacs around the world, some of whom do not hesitate windsurf in the winter storms of northern France. Jules Denel, a professional windsurfer is one of them. (9 Min, France)

Director/Writer: Ludovic Marquier
Cast: Jules Denel
Producer: Ludovic Marquier

THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLASTIC: ABBY BARROWS

On Deer Isle, Maine, home to one of the world’s most productive lobster ports, warming waters and invisible microplastic pollution threaten a centuries-old way of life. As veteran lobsterman Joel Billings and his daughter Hannah reckon with the possible end of their family’s tradition, neighbor and microplastics researcher Abby Barrows offers a vision for a more sustainable future through plastic-free aquaculture. (19 Min, United Kingdom)

Director/Writer: Andrew Lynch, Ben Ayers, Rush Sturges
Cast: Abby Barrows, Joel Billings
Producer: Charlie Rollins

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LOVE BIRDS

In 1972, married biologists George Hunt and Molly Warner make an unprecedented discovery while studying seagulls on one of California’s Channel Islands. To their surprise, a great number of the nesting pairs they observe are both female. George and Molly’s research on “lesbian seagulls” quickly triggers both outrage and jubilation in a nation grappling with the rise of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and it threatens to tear apart their own relationship. (28 Min, San Diego, CA)

Director/Writer: Elliott Kennerson & Angel Morris
Cast: Molly Warner, George Hunt
Producer: Nell Augustin, Molly O’Brien

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THE MOST BIODIVERSE PLACE IN AMERICA

Set in the sun-soaked canyons and coastlines of San Diego County, The Most Biodiverse Place in America is an intimate portrait of place, purpose, and generational connection. Told through the lens of John Fiske — a passionate naturalist and educator — and his sons Johnny and Charlie, the film explores the richest ecological county in the United States. As father and sons move through chaparral, oak woodlands, snowy mountains, desert expanse, and coastal bluffs, they share a bond rooted in curiosity and care for the land. John’s decades of work protecting habitats and species comes alive in his mentorship of Johnny and Charlie, who see the future of conservation through their father’s eyes. Together, they reflect on what it means to grow up grounded — in a landscape teeming with life and in a legacy built on stewardship. (45 Min, San Diego, CA)

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LEAF CUTTER

Anita, a lowly ant soldier, has to test her might against a giant wasp dragon, The Ruined Sapphire, to save the ant colony. (4 Min, Animation, Bonita, CA)

Director: Kai Asakawa & Kendall Blair
Writer: Nate Vance, Kai Asakawa
Producer: Kai Asakawa

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BACK TO ONE

When a couple is faced with an important decision upon witnessing a shocking turn of events, it becomes apparent that not everything is as they would appear. (6 Min, United States)

Director: Carly Miller
Writer: Carly Miller, Saad Rolando
Cast: Saad Rolando, Jhordan Munn, Gage Robinson, Eliza Kanter, Oleg Belousov, Paul Eun Ha, Benny Reitveld
Producer: Saad Rolando

V’S SECRET

When Adam drops his wife’s G-string onto his neighbor Bassem’s balcony, he becomes convinced Bassem eventually steals it. Adam decides to retaliate by taking the matter into his own hands. (13 Min, Egypt)

Director: Bassma Farah Nancy
Writer: Bassma Farah Nancy
Cast: Maher Gamal, Ahmed El Banhawy, Amir Fahim, Hossam Bayoumi
Producer: Jesuit Cairo Film School, Antonious Bassily, Bassma Nancy Farah

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NANI

As Ramadan draws to a close, a young woman returns home, stirring up buried tensions and unspoken truths that refuse to stay in the past. (10 Min, Los Angeles, CA)

Director: Mainak Dhar
Writer: Mainak Dhar
Cast: Bushra Khan, Sunita Mukhi, Nirvan Patnaik, Shurud Shanto, Rumela Ganguly, Justin Alexio
Producer: Shardul Sharma, Humaira Khan

LOS ANGELES CRIME DRAMA

Be careful what you wish for… (15 Min, Pasadena, CA)

Director: Daniel Maggio
Writer: Daniel Maggio
Cast: Jason Nicholls, Sterling Anno, Callie Gilbert, Max Radbill, Michael Solace
Producer: Daniel Maggio

RIGHT ON!

An aspiring writer uses increasingly desperate and unconventional methods to overcome a crippling ailment – writer’s block. (15 Min, San Bernardino, CA)

Director: Dave Rosas
Writer: Dave Rosas
Cast: Dave Rosas, Mason Bancroft, James E. Clark, Daniel Maggio, Jessica Rosas
Producer: Dave Rosas, David M. Rosas

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