'The Works' s a 20-minute film that, using only the words of Shakespeare, explores the vast complexities and striking dichotomies that exist within a community of young Londoners who refuse to be defined by their circumstance. 'The Works' features brilliant performances from Antonia Thomas (Sunshine on Leith), Fisayo Akinade (Ordinary Lies), Cherrelle Skeete (Call the Midwife), Sharon D Clarke and Ralph Fiennes (Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter).

Screens with "Bad Girl"

World Premiere

Bad Girl is a psycological thriller set in a glamourous but remote house in a bush setting. Bad girl Amy, 17, is given one last chance by her adoptive parents, who think Amy's friendship with local girl Chloe is a step in the right direction. But when Amy discovers Chloe's secret she finds herself fighting for her life, and for the future of the family she herself tried to destroy.

West Coast Premiere

Executive Produced by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of AbsoLutely Productions, MUTHA is a series of moments in the life of a suburban housewife who fantasizes about being a rapper and is based on the real life of creator and star Mandy May Cheetham and her alter-ego Mandy Mayhem. The show features an appearance from Fatlip (formerly of Pharcyde), who also arranged one of the 6 original songs.

IFS Premiere

The keg has run dry. The band is winding down. The party is dead. But lead singer Kira Lingman is determined to find someone with the energy to electrify the party and get everyone back on their feet in her music video, "Soul Shake"!

Soul Shake is the music video debut for director Seth Rotkin.

IFS Premiere

Music Video for singer-songwriter, comedian and self proclaimed #SelfieKing Eytan Ribner, delivering his self obsessed inner world into a technicolor reality starring HIM and only HIM!

IFS Premiere

Told in a non-narrative form, Firebird tells the story of a peasant girl who by refusing to give up her what she values most, sacrifices herself and leaves behind beauty for all who desire it's presence in their lives.

World Premiere

An ambitious fairy tale that combines animation and live production, including a mermaid and hand-held puppets, to tell a story about love, control and loneliness.

World Premiere

"Supermom" is the "must see" award-winning short film about a daughter who believes her mother is a real life super hero – she might be right. It stars John Hensley (star of "Nip/Tuck", "Teeth", etc.), and Justine Herron ("Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain").

IFS Premiere

A holocaust survivor, Eva Haller knows, first-hand, the importance of human empathy and kindness in changing the world for the better. As receiver of the first ever Forbes Mentoring Award, Eva Haller has undoubtedly earned the admiration of everyone who knows her by bringing out the best in everyone she meets. With a little advice and a nudge, she has guided artists, scientists, and activists to achieve amazing things for the sake of human progress.

But if you ask her, it's all selfish.

LA Premiere

Three scientists are working on an antimatter experiment that could change everything or nothing. Comedy Short Film.

World Premiere

The Dancer Girl is about Parisa, an Indo-Iranian American, who creates her own style of fusion of Ballet, Kathak and Persian dance after delving into her cultural roots. Inspired by the true story of Aneesha Madhok's invention of her fusion dance. Co produced by Slumdog Millionaire star "Tanay Chheda" and Meeta Anand. Music by former AR Rahman student- Prashant Srinivas Gopalakrishnan.

LA Premiere

Once you’ve lost it, is there any way out of your mind alive

Alive! is the powerful short story of a young couple, played by G. Lane Hillman and Danea Rhodes, who find themselves at a deadly crossroad of the mind as they tackle circumstances beyond their control. Or is it?

Written and directed by G. Lane Hillman, Alive! reminds us that no one is exempt and everyone has a threshold when it comes to our ability to cope.

IFS Premiere

Audrey Lang (played by Julie Gonzalo of Dallas, Dodgeball, Christmas with the Kranks) feels like just another mother behind the wheel of a minivan. One afternoon, she receives an invitation to revisit her past, her passion. But at what cost? Set against the the haunting melody of Sara Bareilles' "Once Upon Another Time," this short film raises questions all mothers face – must you sacrifice your identity to encourage your children’s passions? Can you have it all?

Los Angeles Premiere

John Henry Richardson delivers a powerhouse performance in David Khaziri's Locked in Stone, a story about a bankrupt locksmith unable to pay off his debt to a Native American loan shark, who decides to rescue a sex-slave masseuse before fleeing for Greece. In this destitute bleak world, hope is the most valuable commodity, if they could only find it.

North American Premiere

Emma Strange, a frustrated actress with a desperate need for stardom takes things into her own hands and enlists her lonely neighbor Ray Nelson into kidnapping Hollywood's celebrity elite to give her the greatest acting reel the town has ever seen. Ultimately they succumb to each others dark side and find themselves on a twisted journey to fame. Starring Peter Dobson, Anna Florence aka Anna Fantastic, Charlotte Kirk & Patricia Healy.

West Coast Premiere

Written and directed by filmmaker and comedian Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez (Pushy Riot, Strictly Vers), Bettas centers on a gay couple that, while showering, gets into a petty squabble that quickly escalates. The script was a Quarter Finalist for the ScreenCraft Short Film Competition before executive producer Rachel Goldberg (a Ryan Murphy Half Foundation Fellow and producer Alisa Naso (Different Flowers) came aboard. Bettas is one of a two-part series titled Alpha Bettas; Alpha premieres at FilmOut San Diego 2017.

West Coast Premiere

Roger lives a grim and detached life, picking up medical waste for a living, but looks forward to his evening conversations with his quirky roommate and foodie, Olive. But as the meals become increasingly strange, and push the limits of curiousity, Roger must ask himself how far he will go for love?

"Waste" is an absurdist short that warns about the dangers of consumption and unsatiated desire. Stylistically it is inspired by the work of Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson and David Lynch.

IFS Premiere

At one of his concerts, a Alex's ex-girlfriend appears in the audience. Her unexpected arrival sends Alex through a series of flashbacks of the playful bliss and painful strains of their relationship. Their story unfolds as one continuous narrative over the five songs that make up this visual album.

North American Premiere

No one is safe.

You never know when a stranger could belong to a cult obsessed with sex and death.

A cult known only as The Program operates in shades of real-life institutions that perpetuate extreme religious adherence, propaganda, and mind-altering conversions. This horror story is set against the backdrop of queer culture in LA. Director Dean Littner combines a love of the horror genre with his gay pride in a film that slices and dices camp and gore together, …to serve up one original, tasty dish! Starring Eric Paul Leue and Chad Sanders, Jonny K. Jouet Dvin Kirakosian, the sexy and endearing James Cerne, and real-life club impresario Mario Diaz.

World Premiere

When a bagman for the Russian mob falls for a fresh-off-the-boat prostitute, the only way to ensure their freedom is to fight for it. Jimmy The Saint offers an unflinching look at the lucrative and dangerous sex trade that claims the lives of anonymous innocents everyday. With a talented cast of newcomers anchored by industry veterans like theatre legend Jeff Murray and television star Christine Lakin as you’ve never seen her before, JIMMY THE SAINT is a powerful film experience that will stay with you long after the final fade-to-black.

World Premiere

A young charismatic preacher and his hot Latina girlfriend travel Route 66 scamming the small churches along the way only to find that the bogus healing powers he portrays become real. The healing powers serve as a blessing and a curse.

"The Lucky Man" tells the story of a young preacher, Rev. Johnny Jones (Jesse James) and his fiercely loyal girlfriend Rebecca (Mariana Paola Vicente), and their life on the road. While on their way from Texas to California, Rebecca has dreams and aspirations of settling down and eventually starting a family, while Johnny is more concerned with the journey at hand. Searching for small out-of-the-way towns, he preaches to unsuspecting crowds with such passion and fervor, he has them eating out of the palms of his hands, filling up their collection plates with enough money to get them to their next destination. Johnny is no saint and when not preaching, he snorts cocaine and downs tequila, while Rebecca watches old TV shows.

World Premiere

IFS PARTY EVENT

Come to the IFS Opening Night Party.

Socialize with your fellow filmmakers at one of our most memorable social events of the 2017 IFS Film Festival!

All party venues announced on April 25th.

Tickets can only be purchased online.

Tickets must be picked up at IFS Box Office at The Grove for entry.

All Parties are 21 and up only!