Saturday, November 7, 2026

10:00AM

CUNY Student Short Series with
Eight Short “First Films”
Eight First Time Doc Makers
Straight Outta the Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY
11 miles from midtown and across the bridge

Program Curated By Judith Helfand
Sponsored by Karen Rappaport
Talkback to follow with student filmmakers

Featured Shorts—

PLUS MINUS ONE
Directed by Lynn Ma
Runtime: 14:35
Have you ever been through a friend breakup? What do friends mean to us? What do we do after a friendship ends? This is my first-person bittersweet love story about my best friend and plus one who called it quits.

BELOVED
Directed by Delilah Saul
Runtime: 21:33
Delilah is a sex worker and journalist-turned-filmmaker in pursuit of answers to a question that’s the central obsession of her life: What needs to change in society in order for sex workers to more easily find relationships where they are loved and supported, just the way they are?

BETWEEN HERE AND WAR
Directed by Ollie Ieltsov
Runtime: 19:55
A financial analyst and a fashion model who left Ukraine to forge successful careers put everything on hold when Russia invaded their homeland in 2022. Camouflaged in blue and yellow, armed with cellphones and oversized drone-filled suitcases ready for departure, they fight for their independence from the frontlines of NYC.

NOEL (I CARRY YOU WITH ME)
Directed by Ana Teresa Colón García
Runtime: 17:19
After her grandfather Noel’s death, filmmaker Ana Teresa Colón-García joins her father in packing up the home Abuelo left behind. As they uncover an archive shaped by decades of political struggle and FBI surveillance in Puerto Rico, the process becomes a meditation on absence, independence, and the stories we inherit.

DEATH BY 1,098 CUTS
Directed by Usha Sookai
Runtime: 19:00
Laura Mata Lopez never wanted to research suicide prevention. But she couldn’t let her Latina immigrant community continue to die, so she got into Johns Hopkins’ PhD program and earned an NIH grant for her research. Then President Trump terminated her funding and mobilized ICE – unexpectedly uniting her fight for science and the survival of her community.

THE SCARS WE CHOOSE
Directed by Chris Colon
Runtime: 14:44
Sonny Calandrillo is a 36-year-old trans tattoo artist (and New Jersey native) who believes that tattoos are much more than skin deep; they are a means of healing from trauma and reclaiming the self. Through this trauma-informed ideology we question — can tattoos heal as much as they hurt?

DON’T LOOK AWAY
Directed by Joseph Lingad
Runtime: 35:00
DON’T LOOK AWAY follows Corey over six years as he navigates his career, relationships, and daily life while challenging common societal assumptions about facial differences.  Who is really missing out when society looks the other way?

ROOT FOR ME
Directed by Valerie Dowret
Runtime: about 14 min
During the extremes of a Lower East Side summer, where tree cover and green space are indicators of both happiness and heat, neighbors from one NYC city block compete to see whose 5×9 foot curb-garden will be worthy of the coveted first prize. (A tree guard).

4:15PM

Call Me Micky
Directed by Andrew Rasmussen
Talkback with Andrew Rasmussen, filmmaker; Micky Petrillo; and Dominique Jackson Short – 22 minutes

Executive produced by Dominique Jackson, CALL ME MICKY follows larger-than-life New Jersey native Micky Angelo Petrillo as he barrels into his next act after transitioning at 59. Now 62, he navigates reinvention, unexpected friendships, and the everyday absurdity of finally being seen — with humor, candor, and no intention of doing it quietly.


Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GisLdlCzQE&t=1s

5:35PM

Buried Under Years of Dust
Directed by Sophie Sartain
Sponsored by Marble Jam
Talkback moderated by Maria Trice Jenkins
Documentary Short – 30 minutes

East Coast Premiere!

How does someone go from not communicating for 25 years to narrating her life story? BURIED UNDER YEARS OF DUST traces the remarkable journey of Emily Grodin, a woman silenced by autism, finally finding her voice. Despite Emily’s increasing frustration, physical outbursts, and violent meltdowns, Emily’s parents never abandoned hope that their daughter would one day share her thoughts, feelings, and deep intelligence. Then, using a controversial assisted-typing technique, Emily had an extraordinary breakthrough. One of her first sentences was “I have been buried under years of dust.” In a time when American health officials call into question the value and contributions of people with autism, Emily has the mic, and she’s got a lot to say.

Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GisLdlCzQE&t=1s

PRICE: $10 Online / $15 at Door (if seats remain)

BUY TICKETS HERE!

See TIFF’s full schedule: https://www.teaneckfilmfestival.org/film-rosters/2026-teaneck-international-film-festival-film-roster-anegh-wmahr