Official Selections: 11th LA Women in Film Festival

Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film

Roaslie

Short
West Coast Premiere
An unplanned pregnancy leaves an overwhelmed mother of four determined to end it—and her infertile best friend determined to stop her.
**Writer-Director:** Erin McGuff-Pennington
**Producers:** Adriana Spencer, Erin McGuff-Pennington
**Cast:** Rebecca Robertson, Adriana Spencer, Julian Giat, Saoirse Pennington, Aubrey Madison Lake, Finnegan Thornell, Jack Bibas
**Cinematographer:** Liza Gipsova
**Editor:** Adam Grannick
**Awards:** Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Most Viewed (MOM Film Fest); Best of Fest, Best Cinematography (Blackbird Film Festival)
**Additional detail:** Women-led project
**Website:** RuffledOwlProductions.com
**Instagram:** https://www.instagram.com/ruffledowlproductions
**Facebook:** https://www.facebook.com/ruffledowlproductions/

Second Shift

Short
**World Premiere**
On the night before her return to work, Sarah, a young doctor and new mother, finds herself unraveling under the weight of sleepless nights, anxiety, and self-doubt. As she struggles to hold it together, she is thrust into a vivid nightmare that blurs the line between fear and reality, forcing her to confront her deepest fears about motherhood and the cost of failure.Second Shift is a psychological drama that captures the emotional, physical, and mental toll of modern motherhood and the impossible expectations placed on women to endure it all without breaking.
Director: Jackie Moore
Producer: Paris Khougaz, Ivette Li-Sanchez
Writer: Paris Khougaz
Cast: Paris Khougaz, Luke Barnett, Leo Sieglein, Edward Kasper, Forest Meadows
Cinematographer: Chuck France
Editor: Chris Clancy
This is Paris Khougaz's writing and producing debut. This is Jackie Moore's directing debut.
Instagram: @secondshiftfilm

Shambhala Story

Feature
Los Angeles Premiere
A devout Tibetan monk is sent to Japan for further studies. There, he befriends a Japanese woman on parole, but he is forced to make an impossible choice between his love for her and his vow to his religion.
Director: Toshio Sekine
Producers: Tamaki Fujiwara,Hitoshi Yoshikawa
Writer: Tamaki Fujiwara,Toshio Sekine
Cast: Mo Tzu-yi,Rina Takeda,Shohei Hino,Nahana,Pema Dorjee
Cinematographer: Hiroyuki Fukuda
Editers: Ayaka Yamamoto,Keiichiro Niwano
Music: Deon Lee
Associate Producers: Guy Orlebar / Hirotaka Asano
At the International Sound & Film Music Festival in Croatia,
“Shambhala Story”has been nominated for Best Original Score, Feature 2025.
The film’s composer, Deon Lee, received the nomination.
Producer and screenwriter Tamaki Fujiwara also serves as the film’s music supervisor.
Website:
https://linktr.ee/shambhala_movie
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/shambhala_movie/
X (Twitter):
https://x.com/shambhala8586
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ShambhalaMovie8586/

Tashi, a Tibetan monk, has long practiced in an Indian monastery, living strictly by its precepts. Fate, however, leads him to an ancient temple in a tranquil Japanese mountain village for deeper spiritual training.

There, Tashi meets Emi, a woman living with her grandfather. Currently on parole, Emi, in deep despair and flirting with suicidal thoughts, is nonetheless desperately trying to do everything she can to survive. When this deep sadness is her heart meets the burning vitality in Tashi's, they gradually feel inexplicably drawn to one another. As they spend more and more time with one another, and their hearts get closer and closer, their newfound friendship becomes ever more precarious.

・21th Osaka Asian Film Festival Competition 2025 Nominee OFFICIAL SELECTION

・20th Tasveer Film Festival OFFICIAL SELECTION

・12th ARFF Barcelona /International Film Festival OFFICIAL SELECTION Best Feature Film / Shambhala Story,Toshio Sekine

・New York International Women Festival Winner – June 2025 Best Feature Producer / Shambhala Story

Still She Rides

**Documentary**
**Los Angeles Premiere**
Still She Rides reveals the untold stories of Nepali women who face daily harassment on public transportation, yet continue to move forward with courage and resilience. Through intimate testimonies, the film uncovers how fear and silence restrict women’s education, careers, and independence, while experts from academia, NGOs, and the transportation industry expose the cultural and structural causes behind these barriers. By linking gender-based harassment to Nepal’s climate goals, the documentary highlights how unsafe public transit undermines both women’s rights and sustainable development. At its heart, Still She Rides is a call to action—urging collective responsibility, cultural change, and innovative solutions so that every woman can travel safely, freely, and with dignity.
Director: **Anya Kothari & Anya Ramani**
Producer: **Anya Kothari & Anya Ramani**
Writer: **Anya Kothari & Anya Ramani**
Cinematographer: **Abhishekh Maharjan**
Editor: **Anya Kothari & Anya Ramani**
**Supported by a grant from the Embassy Foundation**

The Contract

Short
**World Premiere**
*Kayley, an overlooked office assistant, must finish a multimillion-dollar deal document. She loses it and gets stuck in an elevator with her boss, with only five hours until the meeting.*
Director: Andri Óskarsson
Producer: Andri Óskarsson
Writer: Andri Óskarsson
Cast: Robin Lilja Talbot, Saga Geirdal Jónsdóttir and Magnús Ragnarsson
Cinematographer: Andri Óskarsson
Editor: Andri Óskarsson
Instagram: @Andri.oskarss
I think everyone can relate when it comes to toxic work environment. Just because you have lower qualifications, but still work as hard as the one above you, that doesn't mean you should be treated unfairly. When it comes to bosses and customers, they are often the ones who oversee your work, double cross you or demand more than is expected of you.

The Talk

Student Short (Drama / Social Issue)
**Los Angeles Premiere**
*The Talk* delivers a searing portrait of one Black parent’s difficult conversation with their child. What begins with tenderness soon reveals the deep scars of systemic racism, the ache of personal loss, and the ever-present fear carried by families of color. Created by an all-female, student-led team, the film explores the emotional toll of injustice through quiet realism and raw humanity.
Director: Hila Cage Coppola
Producer: Hila Cage Coppola (*Uncaged.Productions*) and Christina Cannarella (*Mother Road Studios*, Associate Producer)
Writer: Hila Cage Coppola
Cast: Kareem Zion, Jazmin Garcia, Spencer McNish, Christian L. Scott
Cinematographer: Christina Cannarella
Editor: Hila Cage Coppola
*The Talk* is the first short film by Hila Cage Coppola, created entirely by students while enrolled in Summer 2025 Cinema 002 course at LACC. The production was led by an **all-female crew**, including a female **director, producer, cinematographer, first assistant director, editor, and sound designer**. The project was built around a **fully inclusive set**, both in front of and behind the camera, collaborating with students and artists with disabilities. The script was selected for the **Los Angeles Valley College Anti-Racism Film Project** and brought to life through a team dedicated to accessibility, representation, and authentic storytelling.
\Website: Uncaged.Productions
Instagram: @BonafideSavage
LinkedIn: Hila Cage Coppola
Facebook: Hila Cage Coppola FB

Unlatched

Short
**USA Premiere**
An exhausted new mother is struggling alone with postnatal distress. Unexpected visitors arrive. She must take control, or risk losing everything.
Director: Ruth Dudding
Producer: Emma Deakin
Writer: Lisa Brickell
Cast: Jocelyn Christian, Harrison Newport (baby), Bronwyn Turei, Andrea Kelland, Lisa Brickell
Cinematographer: Kelly Chen
Editor: Sonia Heideman
This short film is a collaboration between NZ creatives and Australian researchers. It has its genesis in the theatre show Shhh! -Mockingbird (also written by Brickell) which has been performed across New Zealand, Australia, Norway, France and Scotland to critical acclaim.Unlatched is a female story, told by women. The cast and key crew are 90% female to champion the themes of the movie and to highlight the artistry of women.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mockingbirdablackcomedyaboutmentalhealth/

*Unleashed, A Love Letter to Survivors*

Documentary short
This film presents the stories of 6 women who were lured into or trapped into the "Life" of sex trafficking as minors but courageously managed with grit and determination to escape that life. The film examines the societal factors that led these women to the Life, the many obstacles each faced and overcame in exiting the Life, and the ways in which viewers can participate in addressing the problem of sex trafficking in the US. As one reviewer observed, the film “gives space to stories that have long been silenced and does so with immense care and respect. It invites viewers not only to listen but to feel —to connect, to reflect, and perhaps to act. Above all, it honors its subjects as survivors more than victims, and shows that while the road to recovery is long, it is one worth walking —together.”
**Director:**                                        Linda Broocks
**Producer:**                                      Linda Broocks, LJB Films+, LLC
**Writer:**                                            Linda Broocks
**Cast:**                                               NA/documentary
**Cinematographer:**                     Cliff Sundstrom, NexusATX
**Editor:**                                            Cliff Sundstrom, NexusATX
**Sound Editor:**                              Skip SoRelle, SoRelle Sound
**Website:** **https://ljbfilms.com/unleashed%2C-a-love-short**

Awards:
Best Short Documentary, Abita Springs International Film Festival, Jan 2025
Gold Remi Award, World Fest Houston, April 2025
Spirit Award, Urban Shorts Film Festival, Atlanta, May 2025

Official Selections: 11th LA Women in Film Festival

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