Almond: My Voice is Breaking

This short film tells the story of a childhood, of a friendship and of growing up. A young man returns to the village where he grew up and discovers that both he and the place have changed. Yet, he soon finds himself immersed in his memories.

The film follows different stages in the life of Sofía, a young girl born in Argentina of Chinese descent. From her childhood to her adulthood, she's conflicted by the clash and fusion of both her cultures, all while facing a strenuous relationship with her mother Jia, who places concerns and demands on her.

Blue-collar Paulie prepares for fatherhood and his forthcoming wedding to Sue by hanging out with his groomsmen. Brother Jimbo, cousin Mike, and his pals fill the reunion with drinking, boys-will-be-boys antics and a few unexpected personal confessions. But, when the bonding devolves into accusations and regret, Paulie has to decide whether he's ready to tie the knot and take this big step into adulthood.

Meena, a 12-year-old living in a mining village in the English Midlands in 1972, is the daughter of Indian parents who've come to England to give her a better life. This idyllic existence is upset by the arrival in the village of Anita Rutter and her dysfunctional family.

Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.

On their seventeenth birthday, a young teen stands at the threshold of time, grappling with the bittersweet realization that their childhood and the world they once knew are slipping away.

Between the hustle and bustle of music, drinks and questionable bathrooms, three girls with different lives have more in common than what they might think.

A group of high school friends reunite in their hometown for the funeral of an old buddy, 'Bender'; they will spend a weekend struggling to accept that Bender escaped what they can't — adulthood.

In this quiet, naturalistic dramatic short, six-year old Sarah grapples with understanding mortality after the sudden death of her older brother, David. With the help of her family, she gradually learns how to process his passing and cope with her grief. Written, produced, and directed by Jackie Rivet-River, this short film for Encyclopaedia Britannica Films was awarded the Silver Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as 12 additional awards internationally.

At the age of 8, Vaselinetjie is taken away by the Welfare and send to the orphanage. It's a strange, hard, dangerous world of rebel children, fierce house mothers,friends, first loves and where she finally finds true self-acceptance.

A coming of age story of members of a Nahal group, volunteering in a kibbutz named "Kissufim" ("Yearnings" in Hebrew), on the outskirts of the Gaza strip in the 70s, who meet with the hardships of love, sexuality, morality and responsibility near the end of their military service and the beginning of their civilian adult lives.

The two 15-year-old girls Zoe and Asal are best friends. They are spending their last summer holidays together before the earnestness of life begins. But this summer their friendship is put to the test by the arrival of a backpacker whose name is Kai.

Julia always said that her upbringing as a biological child in a foster family was a happy time. But something is wrong. In The Foster Family, we follow director Julia's journey back in time, where she, together with her parents Ewa and Lennart and the foster child Patrik, recollect the shocking events that changed their lives over thirty years ago. The children are at the center of this strong, touching and warm documentary about a system where you can love, but not too much.

Bia just turned eighteen. The end of the year is coming and also the ACTs. People at school and Bia’s parents are pressuring her to decide which graduation she will apply for. Bia doesn’t want to do anything.

Four best friends, on the brink of starting middle school, realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it. Nothing could prepare them, though, for the startling discovery they make while revisiting one of their favorite haunts.

Jo's world is thrown into utter disarray when her wife Amanda passes away and she starts chasing a dream that she and Amanda had once shared - starting a family together. Jo asks her late wife's brother, Jamie, to be her sperm donor and craziness ensues.

When something unexpected happens in Oliverio’s family, all he wants to do is walk away. He settles on a deckchair by the pool and decides there is no reason to move. Life swirls around him, revealing secrets and presenting new challenges. Through moments of death, excrement and basic physics, Oliverio learns that some truths cannot be ignored.

Newly single, 35, and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher worries that his best days are behind him. But no matter how much he buries his head in a book, life keeps pulling Jesse back. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance.

A lonely boy finds his passion in football and pursues the sport to endure the difficulties of growing up.

Listless teen, Tyler, spends his days clocking into work and waiting for purpose to find him in his small town. When a mysterious girl breaks his routine, he realizes he has a lot to learn -- and maybe that's okay.