May Day follows 16-year-old Gemma on a birthday that she spends with herself. After allowing herself to feel, she leaves her room to enter a house that she is not familiar with. Following the sound of chatter through the house, she finds herself
in a celebration of a 26th birthday: her own 26th birthday. By observing herself in the future, she then confronts who she is and what she becomes. The short answer, loved. Returning to her 16th birthday, Gemma allows herself to feel, to feel happy.

A park ranger's peaceful night of watching over the animals at the beach is suddenly interrupted by a drunk man on an ATV.

During the war, the father dies, the rest of the family gathers. Three siblings, after years of separation, must deal with their fractured relationships and the death of the father.

The infamous college experience. In a friend group of four, Kai and Kora test the romantic potential of their relationship. Peyton and Alex find out. When their opinions come into play, everything changes.

On a multi-day stand-up paddle-board journey to his childhood home in Iowa, a Colorado father and four friends confront the humor, hardship, and uncertainty of middle age.

Marie faces the hegemonic king of chess and during the tournament, in a speakeasy, a high-ranking official of an organization will make an attractive but crazy proposal to the French player to improve her game. What she doesn't know is that this persuasive and elegant man is none other than the prince of darkness himself.

A young man meets a potential employer at a restaurant for an interview over lunch. All goes well and his chances look good.

Lost in the foreign city of Budapest, a solitary Chinese man finds his place in the world not through words, but through a single, unexpected moment of human connection.

Across laughter and quiet conversations that span years, a father and daughter navigate the joy of being together and the pain of a love that must learn to endure being apart.

MIDDLE GROUNDS is a documentary short about Bison Coffeehouse, a Northeast Portland hub for coffee, community, and conversation — things that unite us when so much divides us. Coffee shops often become the places where we play out the struggle between our political and social differences in America. MIDDLE GROUNDS is the story of one small business at a time in our country when who we are, what we believe and with whom we associate remain questions we can either settle with difficult conversations or with simpleminded violence.

12-year-old Kate longs to escape her lonely reality as the oldest of 5 under the shadow of her father's addiction in this coming-of-age story set in late 80s rural Iowa. “The Oldest” focuses on the inner life of a girl forced to grow up too fast, longing to escape her stressful home life and just be a kid.

Back home after graduating college, Sam's only connection to the outside world is online chat spaces and her co-worker, Trevor. One New Year's Eve, she will get the chance to change that.

Lotte Reiniger meets Sergio Leone in this animated short,
where desire burns as bright as the desert sun.

The Omaha Public Power District has the largest customer base in Nebraska, a state that is 100% public power. The utility management has repeatedly promised to retire an aging coal plant located in a low-income community of color--a community that has just more than its share of problems. As the utility prepares to convert the plant to natural gas, the State of Nebraska intervenes with a lawsuit. Will the utility buckle under political pressure or keep its promise to the people?

Walter Day is considered the father of eSports. At the ripe age of 70 he decided to record his first album. Walter Day – Hold Me (Official Video) is a short-form visual meditation on love, loss, and transcendence, inspired by the life and music of Walter Day.

New Midlife Disco depicts the “second act” of life for the new midlife generation, portraying individuals who once again step forward as the protagonists of their own stories. Rather than dwelling on nostalgia for youth, the film looks toward the present and the future, where they move forward with greater agency.
Through music and movement, the video sings of dreams and hopes that continue to burn—affirming that life, even in midlife, remains a space for choice, desire, and becoming.

On the Ground is a cinematic meditation on resilience, exploring the space between despair and hope, isolation and perseverance. Set against striking visual landscapes, an abandoned warehouse drenched in shadow, vast green fields beneath endless blue skies, and a solitary journey down an open road bathed in golden light. The film follows artist Branjae as she moves through depression, loneliness, and the desire to escape. Through dreamlike floating imagery, sweeping cinematic compositions, and intimate performance moments, the narrative reveals the quiet strength found in remaining grounded through life's darkest seasons. Captured with breathtaking visual storytelling by Cherokee filmmaker and director of photography Jeremy Charles, the film contrasts gritty realism with vibrant color and ethereal movement, evoking the visual richness of an independent feature film. Produced by Powersource Productions, On the Ground is an inspirational visual poem about choosing presence over surrender and discovering power in standing firmly where you are.

Between the mid-1800s and the early 20th century, an estimated 1500 opera houses were built in Iowa in towns of every size. The buildings often had multiple uses with spaces for stores, a community gathering area, and as the name suggests, an auditorium where a wide range of entertainment could take place in an era when strict moral standards oversaw all aspects of society. In the 21st century, only about 300 of these buildings are still standing. A few have been restored to something approximating their original look while meeting modern public space standards. Meanwhile, a handful of others are waiting, most likely in vain, for a renaissance of their own.

An exploration of the profound connections between people, the land, and the future of our food system. From independent small-scale farmers across the United States, from Alaskan kelp harvesters to dairy farmers in Kentucky, the film reveals the authentic, lived realities and unprecedented challenges of those working against the tide of escalating industrialization in agriculture. Fork in the Road expands the conversation beyond the farm, highlighting how food sustainability is a shared responsibility that extends into our kitchens and communities. More than a call to environmental action, the film illuminates the vital ways that sustainable food practices can nourish our bodies, strengthen our communities, and heal the Earth.

A Yamame trout born in the river travels to the sea, eventually becoming a Masu Salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) and returning to the river. This journey connects the forest and the sea, nurturing the life and culture of the river basin over a long period. However, the development of modern society gradually began to obstruct this migration. Tens of thousands of dams built for disaster prevention have divided the river from the sea, and abandoned forests are increasing the risk of disasters. The development of renewable energy, promoted as a measure against global warming, is also shaking the very foundation of nature and society. This documentary, through the life of the Masu Salmon, questions the trajectory of nature and culture being lost in the shadow of economic development.

An Arab-American mother drowns in postpartum as a night nurse unsettles her and war floods her screens. Her private paranoia bleeds into the violence beyond her walls- blurring nightmare and reality... But is the madness in her mind or the world around her?

As a dying film director’s life flashes before his eyes, his memories morph into a shifting movie genre fantasy where he’s faced with the friends that helped built his career but he left along the way— looking for mercy in those final moments, he is met with those familiar faces in a bad joke from his subconscious in the form of a redeeming dream.

Amidst the changing political environment in Texas, two trans individuals-- James and Evie-- navigate their day-to-day lives while discussing the implications of the current social and political landscape.

Urban Mining highlights how Central Iowa innovation is tackling a global challenge by transforming discarded electronics into a domestic source of rare earth elements. By recovering critical materials from electronic waste, the film highlights efforts to strengthen America’s supply chain for strategically important technologies, energy systems, and national defense.

An unexpected stranger ducks into a gallery and turns a typical, boring day into a life altering event as he wanders from sculpture to sculpture, pondering how he got there, how he can get away, and what’s waiting for him outside.

A retirement party is derailed by coworkers who can't agree on anything - even basic facts about their recent shared history.

An adored but constrained wife considers her options to break free of her supposedly charmed life.

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.

Mike has a secret he never asked for: flashes of the future strike him without warning. The visions are never clear enough to explain why they happen, only who will suffer. When a glimpse reveals that the people he loves most are at the center of an unfolding chain of tragedies, Mike makes it his mission to stop what he’s seen, even if it means unraveling his own life in the process. Each attempt to change the future only seems to twist it into something worse, forcing Mike to confront a cruel paradox: knowing what’s coming may be the very thing that causes it. As the visions grow darker and more personal, he must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice to protect the people he loves

On the sun-drenched shores of the Côte d’Azur, a woman slips away from her family for an afternoon and steps out of time to rediscover forgotten dreams and imagine the person she might have become.

When the power goes out at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere, a mysterious drifter and his seemingly worthless quarter hold the key to saving everyone from a deadly threat.

UNDIVIDED is a docuseries that asks the question: “Who is included in the story of America?” Hosted by Simran Jeet Singh—an educator, activist, and national bestselling author—UNDIVIDED takes us on a cross-country tour to discover how the fight for freedom through American history has shaped and been shaped by our diverse religious communities. UNDIVIDED introduces audiences to stories that are often unknown and overlooked, shedding light on how our unique struggles actually bind us together.

In a place better known for cornfields than catwalks, a determined group of students redefines what fashion looks like in the heart of the Midwest. Midnight Metro: A Fashion Story goes behind the scenes of the tenth annual fashion show at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa, spotlighting the passion, pressure, and purpose that drive the students and faculty of the DMACC Fashion Institute (DFI). The documentary follows the journey and preparation for the 2024 fashion show, from the first sketch to the final runway walk. Fueled by ambition and heart, Midnight Metro: A Fashion Story is a celebration of ten years of transformation—of garments, of lives, and of what’s possible when artistry meets opportunity in unexpected places.

In rural Iowa, a Muslim chef and his Catholic wife fuse their cultures in the kitchen and beyond, serving dishes that blend Middle Eastern tradition with Midwestern bounty. But their greatest recipe is for belonging, as they build a community where everyone has a seat at the table.

For over 30 years, Mike Jay’s voice has echoed through track and field stadiums across Iowa and the United States, from the Iowa High School State Meet to the Drake Relays and beyond. But his impact goes far beyond the mic. Through the Track Guy Foundation, Mike, his family, and foundation supporters have helped advance the sports of track and field and cross country by supporting athletes and building community across the state. Follow the high school track season through Mike’s eyes and witness the profound influence he and the foundation have had on generations of athletes.

The Clifford family hopes to start a new life by selling their dilapidated, impoverished farm. But when the discovery of an endangered bird on the property threatens to collapse the sale, the son Andy must decide whether to make the bird's presence known or to shoot, shovel, and shut up.