It’s Saturday morning, Cindependent-style, with six shorts about space exploration, trying magical gum, and the one and only tomato hamster! All family-friendly stories.

IRIDESCENT
Director: A.B. Osborne
Runtime: 9:04
Tess, a space explorer, discovers a new world full of wonders that remind her of the planet she left behind.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Directors: Helen Mavourneen Farrell & Igor Coric
Runtime: 3:09
A neurodivergent teenage boy with a fixation on birds navigates school bullying along with his first crush.

WONDER GUM
Director: William Bradford McDonald
Runtime: 2:03
A playful boy visits a whimsical candy store with a special voucher for “wondergum.” One bite of this magical treat leads to a delightful surprise!

THE TOMATO HAMSTER
Director: Margaret Schoettker
Runtime: 4:04
The tomato hamster is born only to find himself to be the only one of his kind. Ready to find his people, he heads out into the farm. This ensues many dangerous encounters with other farm animals. In the end, a lonely barn cat looks out for the smaller creature, and the two form a kinship.

OH HAPPY DAY
Director: Ivan Rome
Runtime: 12:00
Oh Happy Day! follows CHRIS, a timid little guy smitten by a sweet soul named JAZMYN. Though he lacks the confidence to tell her how he feels, he tries in his own way to get her attention. But after many failed attempts, he decides to risk it all during his Easter speech.

UNCLE ARTOO
Director: Zoë Whittaker
Runtime: 10:06
In his later years, Nosferatu has become a foster carer for children. That seems like a good idea.

Cindependent After Dark is the wildest block of the festival. It’s an eclectic collection of shorts about a detective searching for a daycare worker, a puppet in an existential crisis, a wicked tree, and a shocking confrontation between apes and dodo birds.

MARY IS MISSING
Director: Aisling Byrne
Runtime: 24:39:00
When care worker Mary vanishes without a trace, Detective Foley arrives at the Yellow Tree Day Service, and investigations begin. As reports from the eyewitnesses become more and more confounding, we are asked to explore the reliability of truth, the strangeness of fiction, and the people we choose to believe.

MY BLACK IS CRACKING
Director: Bianca D. Lambert
Runtime: 7:53
When chin hairs sprout and deep lines appear, thirty-something Danni is thrust into a battle over how a Black woman is “supposed” to age — and who decides what “aging gracefully” really means.

APE SHIT
Director: Dahlia Jane Kressler
Runtime: 2:57:00
Two monkeys embark on a mission and as their shuttle lifts off it’s not even clear they’ll make it. They set their sights on a lush green planet galaxies away. The last hope for monkey-kind. A rocky landing, everything up in smoke. The monkeys were not sure who would be living here, and they certainly didn’t expect dodo birds. One question remains, can apes and birds live in harmony?

MEETING YOUR MAKER
Director: Gregory JM Kasunich
Runtime: 18:00
Life is hard. Puppets are soft. A feel-good movie about a puppet that kills himself.

Meeting Your Maker is a darkly whimsical short film that follows Otis, a beloved puppet on a long-running children’s show, as he faces an existential crisis just before the series’ milestone 300th episode.

Set against the vibrant chaos of a TV studio and the surreal backdrop of a puppeteer’s inner world, the story explores themes of identity, burnout, and the creative struggle, blurring the line between performer and creator in (hopefully) poignant and unexpectedly funny ways.

THE TAKING TREE
Director: D. Edward Lemmink
Runtime: 6:34
A wicked tree terrorizes passersby, and there’s only one man capable of ending its bloody killing spree.

PICTURE TAKER
Director: Joe Zappa
Runtime: 11:21
A private eye begins to see the same man in every photograph he’s ever taken.

THE INTIMACY COORDINATOR
Director: Louisa Connolly-Burnham
Runtime: 20:53
Kate is an intimacy coordinator. She is also a sex addict.

It may be Saturday, but it’s time for school with a collection of college and graduate student-directed shorts all about learning something new, even when that something is right in front of you.

GLOWBERRY
Director: Jessica M Fisher
Runtime: 4:45
Creatures camouflaged as raspberries have been living in secret underneath the dense, lush vines and foliage. In the Raspberry Village, the incredibly rare berry creatures have the special ability to glow. However, Rubus Baneberry, a mischievous berry creature, is the only creature in the entire village that cannot glow. A determined Rubus sets off in the whimsical world to discover how to glow.

A BUTLER’S JOB
Directors: Madison Arellano & Faye Kennedy
Runtime: 4:43
A Butler’s Job follows Amos, the impeccably mannered butler, to a sickly detective kidnapped by a seemingly nefarious vampiric organization. With his master incapacitated, Amos, with no detective training, no combat experience, and only an encyclopedic knowledge of tea and etiquette, takes to the streets of London to unravel the mystery. If he can polish silverware to a shine, surely he can shine some light on this case… right?

HOMO MACHINA
Director: Griffin Alexander
Runtime: 6:40
As a lonely man isolates himself, the digital world becomes more real than the physical world.

THE ICARUS PROJECT
Directors: Luke Wilson & Sebastian Hahn
Runtime: 7:37:00
In a dark future, Kade is a 20-year-old genius who is secured a release from prison through a specialized work program that ultimately sends him into outer space.

I SEE HIM
Director: Kam Smith
Runtime: 5:27
Having not been acting like himself lately, new recluse Randy is invited by his friend Adrian to meet after their high school’s Halloween Party.

BEFORE LONG
Director: Julia Schmidt
Runtime: 4:11
When she realises things won’t get better any time soon, a young mother sets off to flee her home country. After a dangerous escape with baby in tow, she starts settling in but is soon faced with having to decide between her son’s and her parents’ future.

DOWN THE ROAD
Director: Jose Morales
Runtime: 9:53
Siblings Xavier and Cameron are on their way to visit their mother when their vehicle breaks down. In the middle of nowhere, the siblings must confront their differences.

HAPPY HOUR
Director: Trey Durr
Runtime: 15:54
Jonah, a driven college student with no time for socializing, finds his structured life derailed when his easygoing roommate, Seth, convinces him to step outside his comfort zone. On his first night out, a chance encounter sparks an unexpected romance with the local bartender, Lucas, that forces him to question his priorities.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE
Director: Emmy Pitschner
Runtime: 12:00
Don’t think with your shtick. Joe “Magic” Magidon is a salesman, and a damn good one at that. The crowds at the market love his aggressive, pushy, raunchy schtick– his comedic persona has The Magic Chop flying off the shelves. It’s not long until Joe gets an offer he can’t refuse: the promise of infomercial stardom. But something is… off about Joe. His aggressive, pushy, raunchy persona continues off-camera. Tenfold. But, hey, he sure can sell the hell out of vegetable choppers.

CHECK PLEASE
Director: Shane Chung
Runtime: 9:38
Two headstrong Koreans can’t agree on who’s treating who to dinner, causing their casual restaurant outing to spiral into a martial arts deathmatch.

Fathers, sons, and brothers navigate their identities and their relationships to each other in this heartfelt block of dynamic short films.

THE BOYS AND THE BEES
Director: Arielle C. Knight
Runtime: 18:58:00
The Boy and the Bees chronicles the changing seasons in the life of the Ray Family as they pursue their dream of freedom; raising bees on a farm in rural Georgia while teaching their young sons what they need to steward the planet they call home.

FIRECRACKER
Director: Jovan Brooks
Runtime: 13:54:00
On Jareon’s 12th birthday in 2005, a serious thunderstorm threatens his yearly Fourth of July-firework-celebrations. Jaeron holds out hope, but doubt creeps in, and he begins to question whether his family still cares about him now that he’s getting older– intensifying what will become his most defining birthday yet.

EL TIGUERE
Director: Andrew J Rodriguez
Runtime: 19:25
In the face of food insecurity and a harsh legal system in the Bronx, a Dominican immigrant operates his mobile food garden under the radar, determined to rebuild his life and repair his relationship with his estranged son.

OVER THE BOARD
Director: Emiliano Balado
Runtime: 27:00:00
97th Academy Award Qualifying “Over the Board”, a story about twin brothers played by Isaac Bell and Elijah Bell who meet for the first time, under unique circumstances. Before they can come together, however, they must first overcome their differences. Ian is a top collegiate chess player. Eric is an inmate with a gift for the game. Eric and Ian are identical twins who have never met, until today.

When their worlds collide, one thing becomes immediately clear–they both share a passion, and talent, for the game of chess. But will this be enough to make them family? The only way to settle their differences, the only way to understand each other, is over the board.

Premiere Pass – $75 including fees

A festival upgrade for those who want a little extra magic. The Premiere Pass includes all film blocks, Deep Dives (Thursday, Friday, Saturday), Screenplay Speakeasies (Thursday & Friday), and Saturday Masterclasses – plus access to the VIP Lounge and the daily after-party Enjoy elevated comfort and convenience on your schedule.

The Full Feature – $253 including fees

Our most comprehensive, joy-filled festival experience. The Full Feature grants you three full days of VIP access with every perk we offer – designed for cinephiles who want to soak up every moment of Cindependent.

Enjoy premium seating, a dedicated Festival Liaison to support your weekend, and invitations to our exclusive Welcome Party and Sunday Awards Brunch. You’ll also receive a Cindependent tote, a free t-shirt voucher, a festival program, and unlimited drinks throughout the weekend.

It’s the easiest, happiest way to experience the festival from start to finish – fully supported, fully celebrated, fully Cindependent.

Storyteller Pass (GA Pass)

Your all-access general admission pass to the heart of the festival. The Storyteller Pass gets you into all film blocks plus Deep Dives (Thursday, Friday, Saturday,) Screenplay Speakeasies (Thursday, Friday,) and Saturday Masterclasses. Choose between two price points depending on your seating preference – standard GA or Preferred Seating for a smoother, closer, cinephile-approved view.

Note: The Storyteller Pass does not include access to the VIP Lounge or daily after-parties which begin at 10pm EST each night.

Virtual Pass

Whether you’re joining us in person or tuning in from afar, the Virtual Festival is perfect for rewatching your favorites, catching the films you missed, or diving even deeper into the stories that moved you. Cozy couch screenings, late-night shorts, weekend marathons – your festival, your way.

Our Virtual Festival gives you on-demand access to a curated selection of 2026 films, available to stream for three full weeks – from September 17 through October 8.

Crew Pack

A bundle of CindeTicket vouchers, available in packs of 3, 5, or 8, perfect for groups, families, teams, or anyone who loves sharing the festival experience. Buy now, and once our lineup drops on Cindependence Day (8/2), you’ll redeem each voucher for the single-screen film blocks you want to attend.

Note: Crew Pack vouchers grant access to individual film blocks only and do not include lanyards or entry to after parties, Masterclasses, Screenplay Speakeasies, or Deep Dives.

CindeTicket

Our single-screen entry point into the festival. The CindeTicket lets you choose one film block to attend – perfect for first-timers, friends supporting filmmakers, or anyone who wants a taste of the Cindependent magic. Simple, flexible, and a great way to curate your own festival moment.

Note: This ticket does not include a festival lanyard or access to after parties, Masterclasses, Screenplay Speakeasies, or Deep Dive sessions.