Made in USA
Special Screening - Ajyal Film Festival 2021
/ United States of America, Hong Kong / 2021 / 83 min / Colour / DCP / In Multiple / Arabic, English subtitles
Themes:
Rated: 
Mature subject matter. May not be suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 15 are not admitted into cinemas
Description
A selection of the very best in contemporary American short-form filmmaking.
The Chicken
After mishandling an emergency he witnesses on the streets of New York City, Hiro, a young Japanese immigrant, cannot bring himself to butcher the chicken he bought for dinner.
Director: Neo Sora
USA / English, Japanese / 2020 / 14 mins
The Jog
A man awakes to the news of his lifetime. But minutes later, when he attempts to rescue a woman during his morning jog—his altruistic gesture leads to tragic consequences.
Director: Joseph Lee Anderson
USA / English, Spanish / 2019 / 7 mins
Character
Actor Mark Metcalf takes a critical look back on his life and career in this meditation on power, privilege, and the perils of being a “type”.
Director: Vera Brunner-Sung
USA / English / 2020 / 17 mins
Moving
Transporting an old mattress into a new apartment becomes an absurdist, cinematic one-woman choreography, full of humour and pathos in this wordless vignette of city life.
Director: Adinah Dancyger
USA / English / 2019 / 8 mins
Forever
A life insurance company uses an AI algorithm to determine the risk of a new applicant. The subsequent denial sparks a period of introspection for the individual in question.
Director: Mitch McGlocklin
USA / English / 2020 / 7 mins
To Know Her
Filmed decades apart on the same camcorder, ‘To Know Her’ is a poetic exploration of the filmmaker’s relationship with her mother, who passed away when she was 14 years old.
Director: Natalie A. Chao
USA, Hong Kong / Chinese, English / 2020 / 15 mins
Lonely Blue Night
An awkward family reunion at a business dinner leads a Chinese mother to realize the consequences of leaving her daughter in the care of an American homestay family.
Director: Johnson Cheng
USA / English, Mandarin / 2020 / 15 mins