One ordinary morning, a 10-year-old girl is surprised by the arrival of her first period. Through the metaphor established between our protagonist and an apple, the social pressures placed on girls from this moment in their lives are shown, with the help of a poem recited by the same girl 10 years later.

Across the shifting seasons of rural Nepal, a
woman's life unfolds through childhood, adulthood,
and old age, as symbols of innocence, pain, and
choice trace her silent journey toward death,
witnessed not by fear, but by grace.

The Silent Pyre follows Geeta, a woman whose life
unfolds across three stages: childhood, adulthood,
and old age. Through fleeting moments and long
silences, the film captures how trauma, memory, and
resilience intertwine across a lifetime.
Young Geeta is assaulted and everything changes for
her. She gets a scar and a trauma that follows her
throughout her life, akin to death. As an adult, Geeta
is attracted to a teacher who demands physical
intimacy. When she hesitates, she is assaulted again,
not physically but emotionally she is discarded, and
her rekindled trust is shattered.
Anchored by three symbolic threads - a swing, a scar,
and an anklet - Geeta's journey becomes a
meditation on how pain does not vanish but
transforms. As she nears the end of her life, the
presence of death, imagined not as a taker but as a
silent observer, lingers in the margins of each frame.
A quiet reckoning with loss, womanhood, and the
sacred weight of survival, The Silent Pyre is told with
poetic realism and visual intimacy. It is a cinematic
elegy.

A Colombian opera singer goes to the Peruvian Amazon, to participate in an ayahuasca ceremony, in order to get his voice back. Docufiction.

Overwhelmed by guilt, Irene seeks therapy to find the courage to break free from a dependent relationship.

After years of heartbreaking miscarriages, a woman is ready to abandon her dream of motherhood- until a single moment changes the course of her future forever.

Sound effects by BBC Sound Effects – © BBC

Mercedes, a 92-year-old woman, has lived in Barcelona since she was 16, where she migrated to work. She now has dementia, and can no longer look after herself. Marta is her carer. Through Mercedes and Marta, we will learn more about the work on home care and the problems that affect the elderly, such as unwanted loneliness or mental health problems.

amal, a devoted father and husband, struggles to balance his demanding job and troubled past while secretly battling depression. At work, his boss unfairly piles extra tasks on him, and he witnesses his secretary being harassed by the office jerk, Jake. Jamal's day worsens with a racially charged encounter with Jake as he leaves.

Reuniting with his estranged brother, Shawn, after six years, Jamal feels even more isolated. Shawn’s tense Uber ride home involves the same rude driver from earlier. Shawn meets his girlfriend, Bre, who suggests he see a therapist she has heard about.

Back home, Jamal sits in his car, unable to face his wife, Natasha. The film intercuts with a podcast on men’s mental health struggles. Natasha senses something is wrong, but Jamal denies any issues. That night, he has a flashback to the traumatic event that caused his rift with Shawn: the shooting of their younger brother, Isaiah.

Overwhelmed by his memories, Jamal leaves his house and heads to a podcast studio. There, he relives his painful past and, in a moment of despair, takes his own life. The aftermath of his suicide affects lives globally, from South Africa to London, and devastates Shawn. The film ends, highlighting the importance of seeking help and the far-reaching consequences of untreated mental health issues.

A GROUP OF FRIENDS DEBATES WHETHER OR NOT TO KILL WHO RAPED THEIR FRIEND.

David (16) is a a working class boy with a gambling problem. After being tipped off about a fixed match, he resorts to any means necessary to get money to gamble, regardless of the consequences, convinced that he can win a significant amount of money

The Sixth Stage (Grief) is a psychological drama exploring the emotional fallout of loss and the seductive illusion of control.

In this part of the anthology, Audi Coleman, a rising nurse with a complicated family history, is jolted back into her childhood home after the overdose death of her younger sister, Ailey. Struggling to connect with her grieving mother and emotionally burnt-out brother, Audi attempts to process her pain the only way she knows how: through action. She throws herself into addiction research, community care, and personal reinvention—emerging years later as a decorated practitioner and public figure.
But not everything is as it seems.
Beneath the accolades and clinical calm, Audi’s grief begins to express itself in increasingly unorthodox ways. Flashbacks collide with the present. Emotional ruptures play out like memories—until the audience, like Audi, begins to question what’s real.
Told through nonlinear storytelling, fractured timelines, and layered family dynamics, The Sixth Stage interrogates the myth of the “strong one” in a grieving family, and how unaddressed trauma can fester into something quietly monstrous.
It is a tense, emotionally rich meditation on grief, legacy, and the desperate ways we try to hold broken things together—and is designed to spark conversations about how we love, how we lose, and how we heal.

A visual poem that tells the story of a young Black man overcoming his own toxic habits told through the narrative of a self-help cassette tape.

Some words hurt, Some words heal. And sometimes, the ones spoken in rage leave scars deeper than silence ever could.
Words of Rage is a powerful short film based on true events, exploring how unresolved trauma and suppressed emotions can erupt into explosive anger. Unlike anxiety or depression, anger is rarely treated as a mental health issue—instead, we shame those who suffer from it. Yet its impact can be just as damaging, if not greater.
With the support of loved ones, the journey toward healing begins—but not without pain and reflection.
Does rage always end in healing... or does it simply change form?

After years of isolation, a reclusive woman’s fragile sense of reality begins to shift following a strange and disturbing encounter with a neighbor. Drawn into a quiet unraveling, she’s compelled to confront the objects—and memories—that keep her haunted by the past.

Be kind to yourself.

An autobiographical descent into psychological horror, this experimental short film explores the raw, fragmented reality of living with mental illness.

Three waiters watch a soccer game with the bar closed to the public, suddenly, a postal delivery man appears with a rather large box to deliver. From that moment on, the box and its contents take on an unexpected role that changes the events of what was initially going to be the end of another ordinary night at work.

A newly married couple, Nuria and Luis, who’ve never been able to get intimate, are facing a turning point in their story. On Nuria’s birthday, at home with her parents, Antonio and Carmen, she finally opens up about the dark reason behind her fear of intimacy.

After their father passes away, the Skuratov sisters try to preserve the family business - the bee apiary. But it is not so easy to let go of the experience of loss after the recent passing of a loved one.

Mind Mosaic Arts Festival Healing Arts Panel: Part 1

When faced with a life-altering brain injury, a tiny garden gives hope, purpose, and a second chance to a filmmaker.

Mind Mosaic Arts Festival Healing Arts Panel: Part 3

Many people live in the shadows, trying to push their traumas aside, but Diagnosis PTSD highlights the struggles we can no longer ignore. PTSD affects not only veterans but also everyday individuals, yet access to proper support and services remains limited. This film serves as a voice for those who are often overlooked, shedding light on an issue that demands attention.
​
A medal or badge of honor is a great achievement, but how do we address the mental scars left behind? COVID created a new wave of trauma some newly affected, others re-traumatized. People are struggling, whether from military service or personal hardships, often unable to seek help or support each other. The burden of their pain frequently falls on ‘unaffected’ loved ones, and too often, the consequences are devastating.
​
~Jamila Prescod- Dunham

On her birthday, Judit returns home to two gifts: a childhood video from her sister and a rhinoplasty from her mother. Now a self-love influencer, she faces her difficult relationship with her mother and her old wounds.

Newly wed Amar and Anu move into a quiet new home, eager to begin their life together. But Anu, struggling with anxiety and on medication, discovers a mysterious wooden box hidden inside the house — locked, with no key and no explanation. As her curiosity turns to obsession, Anu begins to question Amar’s intentions. Why is he secretive? What’s inside the box? And why is her anxiety growing worse with each passing day? The Secret Box is a suspenseful psychological thriller that blurs the line between trust, fear, and unraveling reality.

Omar is adjusting to life overseas. A call from back home changes everything.

Frames of Mind tells the story of a young adult film student who is figuring out his world and discovers an emotional life that was buried within him.

Ayumu has an anxiety disorder. While he is unable to distinguish between reality and dreams due to the side effects of his medication, his classmate Akira begins to repeatedly attempt suicide.

Petting Zoo is about a young African-American professional named Rochelle, who is adjusting to her new role as Assistant Director while navigating a manager who creates a hostile work environment through micromanagement and microaggressions regarding the appearance of her natural hair. Rochelle must acknowledge these discriminatory actions and learn to stand up for herself.

A day in the life of a school teacher and how he is bullied and victimised by his students and fellow teachers due to being "different".

John, a 17-year-old boy, can't make sense of his emotions. He thinks his adolescence might be an illness. Going to a support group seems like a good idea until he meets Barbara, the therapist, and her overly direct methods.

When a shy, socially anxious night janitor, cleaning up after Barcelona's affluent party crowd, discovers a mysterious drug that lets her shed the boundaries of her physical self, she breaks out of her isolation and opens herself up to the people she desires... but her newfound freedom comes at a heavy cost.

Carla receives a disturbing call from her mother, Anne. Her grandmother, Mamie, wants to die. With this news they decide to travel to be together, for the last time, the three of them and say goodbye to Mamie.
The meeting, initially affectionate, turns muddy as old grudges buried under a history of family abandonment come to light.

Behind Young Eyes is a 3D animated short film. It explores the idea of child coping mechanisms and shows the main character, 'Trixie,' a young girl dealing with her parents' constant fighting. We discover how she sees this negativity and through the help of a friendly face, how she copes with it.

A woman struggles to separate fiction from reality as shadows emerge from under the door.

A wander through the garden is a slow poetic short film. After the tragic death of their 9-year-old daughter Sile and Toms relationship was tested beyond limits. Sile found healing in her friend’s circle while Tom found peace in the solitary moments spent in the garden. Tom was an avid writer up to the point of Lillians death however after this tragedy he was unable to put pen to paper. Years passed and nothing was written until one day he felt a strange connection with his daughter. As he wandered around the garden where he once spent time playing with his now deceased daughter, a powerful energy washed over him and a connection, almost physical rushed through his body. His grief turned to acceptance, which in turn lead to peace. As he found peace, he slowly found his words again. Only now those words took on a whole new meaning. His writing was a way for him to connect with his daughter. The garden became a sacred place where he could feel her spirit and close to her soul.

Detour is a tense, emotional drama about a young woman trapped in the shadows of abuse while working at a high-pressure corporate job. She hides the truth behind polite smiles and late nights, but her friends begin to notice cracks in her carefully built façade. As her boss piles on pressure and hostility, the walls close in, leaving her questioning if she’ll ever find a way out—or if the road she’s on will end in ruin.

At Jack's house, coexistence with his father is very difficult, any nonsense ends in shouting and reproaches. Jack, impotent, doesn’t give up and vents his anger with Shakespeare's words in a rap, where he wonders why, if they are the same, they cannot understand each other.

Michael, a convicted criminal, agrees to take part in an experimental tech‑therapy program to shorten his sentence. Guided deep into the shadowed recesses of his mind, he must navigate a void where buried memories and long‑suppressed traumas resurface. Each step forces him to confront the truths he’s hidden from himself — the pain that has kept him chained to his past. To reclaim his present and shape his future, Michael must face the darkness within and decide if he’s ready to let it go.

MMAF Healing Arts Panel: Part 2

A young man tasked with guarding a mosque is forced to secretly shelter his lover inside the sacred place for several days. Their hidden presence pushes them across multiple red lines — from the risk of being discovered by religious authorities to the intimate realities of love and the human body. Any revelation could destroy his life and turn their fragile refuge into a catastrophe.

do you think of me?

On edge (Fleurs de peau) is the result of seven adolescents with motor or sensory disabilities reflecting on how they inhabit and experience their bodies. Drawing on their own experiences and expressions such as "having a broken heart" or "head in the clouds," the young people share their thoughts with emotion and sincerity.

The Fight
In a North London boxing gym, an 11-year-old girl trains with quiet intensity, one of the only girls in a space where the boys won’t spar her. She runs the same route each morning, pausing at a place that seems to carry something unspoken. There’s a weight in her silence, a drive that reaches beyond the ropes. One day, she takes a radical step, an act both defiant and tender, a gesture that seems aimed at acceptance but speaks to something far deeper.
The Fight is a raw, poetic portrait of girlhood shaped by grief, ritual, and the will to be seen.

Marcos tells his grandmother Julia about the last summer they were able to enjoy together before Alzheimer's took hold. He helps her remember the walks in the mountains, the shared meals, and the long conversations afterward. Marcos relives that bittersweet summer, recounting to his grandma the intimate moments they shared and the slow, painful way Julia gradually faded away.

When celebrity psychologist Larry Gatlin returns to his home state of Wisconsin to receive an award for his work fighting the stigma of mental illness, all is not well. An unexpected turn with his estranged sister and personal demons collide, creating a narrative that goes beyond the surface of celebration.

"The Last Rung on the Ladder" is the short film adaptation from the 1978 Stephen King short story, co-written by Max Blaska and Karla S. Bryant. Blaska received permission and extension from the King organization through the "Dollar Baby" program. As the initiative was discontinued in 2024, "The Last Rung on the Ladder" is among the last of the Dollar Baby films.

Alejandro is a painter who, in order to remedy his artistic and emotional blockage, decides to spend a weekend in a rural house in search of inspiration.

Seb, an aspiring filmmaker, stops taking his medication, and ends up going through a hectic burnout.

A short film about a life-changing moment...
One day, while Seyfo (35) is herding his sheep, one of them strays from the flock. As he follows it, he sees the sheep disappear behind a rock. When Seyfo climbs up to get a better view, what he witnesses leaves him stunned.
This short film tells the story of how that moment changes Seyfo’s life forever.

A 7-minute film exploring loneliness, friendship, and belonging through the voices of people with and without disabilities

A widower haunted by fading memories must confront what’s real and what’s vanishing when an unexpected visitor forces him into a fragile dance between past and present.