The 2025 Reel Works Film Festival
BLOCK 1: FINDING OUR WAY | SILAS THEATRE | 12:00 PM
Run Time: 11:22 | Narrative
A tribute to his grandfather, this film is an exploration into visual poetry.
Run Time: 04:52 | Documentary
A filmmaker’s move from Lahore to Brooklyn becomes a journey of identity and belonging within his Little Pakistan community.
Run Time: 05:43 | Documentary
A hardworking man from Accra, Ghana migrates to Italy, where he faces racism, before moving to the United States in search of better opportunities for himself and his family.
Run Time: 7:00 | Documentary
Through the voices of FDR High School students, this documentary explores the joys, struggles, and aspirations of the American immigrant experience.
Run Time: 06:54 | Documentary
A Permanent Home explores the growth of a close-knit family rooted entirely in New York City, capturing the love, resilience, and generational bonds that make their story uniquely their own.
Run Time: 10:00 | Narrative
When their father dies during their mother's hospitalization, a Filipino family goes to extreme and absurd lengths to hide the truth.
Run Time: 05:34 | Documentary
Two immigrants share their different experiences and expectations after migrating to the United States.
Run Time: 11:02 | Narrative
An aging couple grow apart as they struggle to find fulfilling paths for themselves in the lives they have together.
BLOCK: 2 THE TIES THAT BIND | BEATRICE THEATRE | 12:00 PM
Run Time: 07:15 | Documentary
A reflection on the beauty standards imposed on Black girls and how they shape identity, self-worth, and belonging.
Run Time: 10:21 | Narrative
Ilir Bushati, a recent Albanian immigrant struggles with this question as he attempts to maintain his position as breadwinner of the household. When he is scammed out of his family's savings, he is sent on a journey to reclaim what he has lost.
Run Time: 09:40 | Narrative
Two friends at a crossroads: Raj, ambitious and ready to grow up, and Juan Carlos, carefree and unwilling to change. As their worlds collide, they must face the painful truth of what it means to outgrow someone you love.
Run Time: 05:00 | Documentary
Joey P. Ryan, a barber and drag performer runs a Manhattan hair salon. Through interviews and vivid moments, the film explores identity, artistry and self-expression.
Run Time: 06:49 | Documentary
Just a day at Reel Works.
Run Time: 08:22 | Documentary
Artists from diverse backgrounds bring their ideas to life in ways that honor their identities and cultures.
Run Time: 09:57 | Narrative
A teen put in charge of his younger brothers for the day finds that keeping the peace is impossible once mischief and mayhem set in.
Run Time: 06:50 | Documentary
This documentary follows young adults in New York City as they navigate the quiet struggle of loneliness in a city that never slows down. Amid the noise, they share what it means to feel unseen — and how they search for connection.
BLOCK 3: FRAME BY FRAME | SILAS THEATRE | 1:30 PM
Run Time: 00:08 | Animation
An emerging artist named Selecta wanders through New York City, finding inspiration in its streets and sound.
Run Time: 00:41 | Animation
Synopsis coming soon
Run Time: 00:55 | Animation
These animations experiment with movement, emotion, and design, using Adobe Animate to explore how two characters shift between play and confrontation.
Run Time: 00:10 | Animation
Irene explores the corners of the internet and accidentally becomes a internet magical girl (aka a keyboard warrior).
Run Time: 04:00 | Animation
A young boy struggles to wash away the gold on his skin until his father shows him its value, celebrating Black pride and culture.
Run Time: 00:16 | Animation
An animated short about a vampire vs. mage fight.
Run Time: 00:26 | Animation
Demonic forces haunt Hammond, and an analog horror story begins.
Run Time: 04:32 | Animation
Mac wakes up to a broken AC and a hungry cat, but somehow the heat causes the cat to mysteriously change. Mac must corral the creature before the repairman arrives.
Run Time: 03:00 | Animation
Three teens must learn to work together and embrace their inner "freak" as they investigate the mysterious cryptids plaguing their quiet Appalachian town.
Run Time: 0:52 | Animation
The story of a few marine animals and their struggles with a changing environment.
Run Time: 0:24 | Animation
Just My Luck (14s) A sip gone wrong turns into a streak of misfortune when a mislabeled soda and a not-so-dead spider collide in this bite-sized comedy of errors.
Leave Him Behind (10s) In this darkly funny twist on the rescue scene, a desperate plea for help is ignored as spider claws decide the fate of a “lost cause”, with hilariously tragic results.
Run Time: 00:12 | Animation
On a sun-drenched day, a daring skater turns gravity-defying tricks before launching into the ultimate ride as they surf into a wild explosive finale.
BLOCK: 4 REEL NEWS: BROADCAST JOURNALISM LAB | BEATRICE THEATRE | 1:30 PM
BLOCK: 5 BENEATH THE SURFACE | SILAS THEATRE | 2:30 PM
Run Time: 07:45
Four immigrant teens from the former Soviet Union explore their often painful experiences of coming to America and the feeling of being stuck between two cultures.
Run Time: 02:50 | Narrative
A short experimental reflection on waste and renewal.
Run Time: 14:00 | Documentary
A young documentarian interviews her Bengali immigrant father about how her own suicide attempt impacted his wellbeing.
Run Time: 12:00 | Documentary
CaraMia Bacchiochi shares her story of addiction and unhoused living in Poughkeepsie, New York during the 1980s, leading her to an eventual life of sobriety dedicated to providing aid to those in the same city and position she was once in.
Run Time: 04:00 | Documentary
This documentary captures the day-to-day experiences of Bronx Visual Arts students who suffer from anxiety. And the pressures of school life.
Run Time: 05:33 | Documentary
Music touches everyone—but can it transform who we are, and even reshape the world around us?
Run Time: 00:36 | Experimental
A fleeting experimental expression of love and fragility.
Run Time: 02:40 | Documentary
An experimental documentary short that encompasses poetic dialogue about the filmmaker's experiences traveling in a lonely world.
BLOCK: 6 STAND UP, SPEAK OUT | BEATRICE THEATRE | 2:30 PM
Run Time: 09:22 | Narrative
A college student returns to his neighborhood for summer break, but something has changed. The bodega is now under new management who has ulterior motives for the neighborhood.
Run Time: 08:32 | Documentary
Inmigrantes sufren por lo que está haciendo Trump y sus políticas sobre los inmigrantes. Ice está ruinando vidas y rompiendo familias, es esto husto o injusto.
Immigrants are suffering because of what Trump and his immigration policies are doing. Ice is ruining lives and breaking up families. Is this fair or unfair?
Run Time: 08:00 | Documentary
A gripping look at New York City’s subway system, where danger, neglect, and youth culture collide in the rise of subway surfing.
Run Time: 09:57 | Narrative
In a future where books are banned, a teenager is caught with one — and must risk everything to protect the last story left.
Run Time: 09:39 | Documentary
Amid turbulent political times, three student activists reflect on the fears that once silenced them—and the convictions that pushed them to keep fighting.
Run Time: 10:58 | Narrative
Young high school senior Day Day is caught between the dangerous streets of Brownsville and a better future, facing harsh consequences when a tragic event forces him to make difficult decisions that may impact his family and friends.
Run Time: 10:58 | Documentary
A documentary told through dramatization and personal interviews. Exploring how masculinity is redefined in modern society.
BLOCK: 7 BECOMING OURSELVES | SILAS THEATRE | 4:00 PM
Run Time: 06:59
A closeted teen who fears telling her family she's gay finds the courage to come out to her sister.
Run Time: 02:28 | Narrative
The filmmaker documents his creative process in a humorous meta narrative.
Run Time: 02:54 | Documentary
Through portraits of New Yorkers and a personal reflection, Wrist explores the harmful effects of gender stereotypes in a poetic short documentary.
Run Time: 06:00 | Documentary
Three queer artists portrayed as living floral archetypes celebrating life beyond tragedy.
Run Time: 10:40 | Documentary
Folkloric Dancers, who come from different experiences, come together on stage, where they are all expected to fit into the typical stereotype of what a Mexican Female/Male should be like.
Run Time: 05:25 | Narrative
As AI takes over his choices, can Jeremy reclaim control before losing his humanity?
Run Time: 10:00 | Narrative
In this comedic and surrealist short, Sasha must grapple with her newfound independence after graduating from college with a degree in Education.
BLOCK: 8 SMALL WONDERS | BEATRICE THEATRE | 4:00 PM
Run Time: 18:00 | Narrative
After a curse strikes the school musical, a theater techie drags his skeptical best friend on a quest to undo it and ends up facing something he’s been running from the whole time.
Run Time: 06:00 | Documentary
This documentary captures the divided perceptions of Orchard Beach—the so-called “Riviera of the Bronx”—contrasting those who see it as dirty and overcrowded with those who celebrate its beauty and proudly point to its “A” rating for excellent water quality.
Run Time: 05:00 | Narrative
After being rescued from drowning by a mysterious figure, a young photographer becomes convinced her savior is a mythical creature from the Atlantic depths—and risks everything to uncover the truth, even if it means facing the ocean once more.
Run Time: 11:00 | Comedy
After a bad breakup, a girl turns demonic, and her friends hire an exorcist to save her.
Join us at the 2025 Reel Works Film Festival
Questions?
Email us at filmfest@reelworks.org