Gridlock

Four students from different backgrounds face new realities of a new life at university. They must adapt to the environment dictated to them in their course in the first year.

A boy goes to the gym, only to be discouraged and face mental and physical body problems.

Two young homeless men struggle to forget the pain of their pasts and open their hearts to new love: Leo, who was discharged from the military a decade ago for psychiatric issues, and Joe whose husband was killed in the Iraq war. Will they overcome their personal tragedies and allow themselves to be happy together? And most importantly, will fate allow it?

El Nazareno

"Beginnings are rare and fleeting. All we are left with in life is a long and unavoidable journey to the end. Describe the burdens you carry with you on this journey." I sent the above prompt to friends and colleagues and asked for any artistic response. I received numerous poems, songs, short stories, etc. I took all of the responses and stitched together the verses, stories, and emotions into a narrative following the protagonist through a day in his life. My goal was to give a snapshot of the mental health of those around me and remind everyone that they are not alone in their sadness.

Lok has been suffering from mental disorder for many years. Because of the misunderstanding and discrimination of others, he chooses to keep his illness in secret.

After going through a breakup and moving back home, James navigates through a "quarter life crisis" while dealing with mental illness, a spandex wearing superhero, hunting for coyotes and faith healing as he pursues his dream of making a feature film.

Hyasaka Yukari only wants one thing: to enter the college that her mom wants. One day, she meets an extravagant group that loves fashion. They were searching for a model and Yukari fits their ideal model. From now Yukari will know the world of fashion and modeling, and what she really wants.

Based off the novella of the same name, Ezra Roscoe's "The King In Yellow" is the tale of the unknown, and what can happen if one is unprepared to experience it.

After losing the people and purpose that once kept him going, Rio drifts through life with little hope for the future. Everything begins to change when he meets Anna, a cheerful young woman who encourages him to see beauty in the ordinary. When hope finally begins to bloom, an unexpected turn of events challenges everything they have learned about life, loss, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Dorothy is an elderly woman who struggles with loneliness and is suffering the loss of her late partner. Strange and inexplainable happenings begin to follow her around the house, causing her unease. That is until she uncovers the cause and resists her family’s contempt, unveiling a curious and heartwarming relationship.

After a diving excursion in the middle of the ocean, Lindsey is viciously sexually assaulted by Bruce, her instructor. She fends him of and they fall overboard into the water. Bruce grabs her and sinks her to the depths of the ocean. In this spiral of violence, she has no way to breathe.

A young man looks for a way out

Álvaro has long felt that his life has lost all meaning. Just as chaos threatens to overwhelm him, a mysterious young woman appears, offering what might be his last hope.

After recovering from an attempted suicide, a high schooler named Autumn struggles with her attempt’s repercussions on her family and friends. However, in struggling to heal, she comes to recognize her second chance and learns to appreciate the beautiful mess of a life everyone lives.

Four peoples’ lives are brought together by the opioid crisis in a small Georgia city. A seasoned firefighter saves the life of a young woman looking for purpose, while grieving parents fight to provide the support their son struggled to find.

On a remote island off the coast of Maine, Liv, after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare's words. A driven neurologist, brought to the island to protect her, commits her to a psychiatric hospital. She becomes a full-blow rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life as she fights for her voice and her freedom.

Entirely created by a team of high schoolers, BARK follows a 16-year-old girl through a year of growing pains, navigating struggles with her grandmother and identity issues.

Aging King George III of England is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger attempt to prevent the king's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales, from usurping the throne.

A hopeless baker's attempt at taking his own life is interrupted by a persistent child in need of a birthday cake.