Seating is not guaranteed in any particular venue or for any particular film block or film;
ALL seating is on a first-available basis.
*Note: While these independent films are not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), most would fall within the PG-13 range. Films that may fall outside the PG-13 range and/or have a trigger or content warning will be noted with an asterisk and listed, with details, in a separate table at the bottom of this page.
Last updated Friday, April 14.
Friday, May 12, 2023
Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| Film Block A 5 to 7 p.m. |
Amelia Cameron: Homer: Great Teller of Tales (Narrative Short, 12 minutes) Desperate for fame, an unknown writer begins working with the gods of Ancient Greece. It’s a chance to prove himself, but he soon must choose between his morals and his fame. |
| Hart Ginsburg: “Tsuki-kage” 月影 (Music Video, 4 minutes) Tsuki-kage, meaning “moon shadows” in Japanese, is part of the Moon Shadows series, which explores life and its interconnections to our ancestral influences—here, seen through nature and lanterns. |
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| Robert Kinlaw: My Name Is Merle (Documentary Feature, 50 minutes) A legendary guitarist and a gardener collaborate to build a festival that forever changes the world of American music and annually brings tens of thousands of attendees to a North Carolina mountain town. |
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| Rob Underhill, Evelyn Putnam: “I’m A Ukrainian, ‘Bordertown’” (Music Video, 6 minutes) This film is dedicated to and made in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. It is a North Carolina artist collaboration, filmed on location at Union Station in Raleigh. |
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| Rebecca Branson Jones: Linda & Henry (Documentary Short, 28 minutes) Recorded over a ten-year period, Linda & Henry is a biographical documentary that showcases Henry’s brilliant talent and Linda’s steadfast support—and discontent of “festival life.” |
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| Angie Sue Staheli: “Ain’t Nobody Sees Them” from Finding Patience, the Musical (Music Video, 5 minutes) Patience Leslie has been watching over residents of Holly Springs, North Carolina, for the past 120 years, seeing their comings and goings—the dead, that is. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Demonstration Gallery and Atrium, Lobby Level
| 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. | Reception for Filmmakers and Friends—Celebrate with this year’s Official Selection filmmakers and their film families! Enjoy appetizers, drinks, and community! Tickets are required; space is limited. Check at the Reception for availability. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Bicentennial Plaza, Outside Front Entrance
Some seating provided; or, bring your own!
| Movies-N-Moonlight, Film Block B 8:30 to 10 p.m. |
Chip Hackler: 1st Memory (Narrative Short, 1 minute) Memory’s a funny thing. |
| In case of inclement weather, Movies-N-Moonlight films, Film Block B, will be screened in Daniels Auditorium. | Hart Ginsburg: “Moon Shadows” (Music Video, 3 minutes) Where do the moon shadows dance? |
| Brandon Talton: Welcome to Sockville (Documentary Short, 12 minutes) In 2020, the Major League Baseball–affiliated team in Burlington rebranded itself with a new identity. While this new name was an instant national media hit, the local community was a little more divided on what was to come. |
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| Madison Crisp, Abby Davenport, Fern Singleton, Vic Sosa: Sonata (Animated Film, 4 minutes) When a blackout derails a young man’s plans for the perfect first date, he must navigate his nerves, the heat, and a mischievous gang of shadows if he has any hope of connecting with the girl of his dreams. |
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| Emory Rice: Fortune (Narrative Short, 4 minutes) A fortune cookie tells her future . . . she wishes it wouldn’t. |
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| Grace Battle Thompson: Down the Line (Documentary Short, 6 minutes) Jimmy Washington is an 82-year-old tennis player from Chapel Hill. Down the Line explores his perspectives on aging and the importance of having a purpose in life and staying young at heart. |
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| Anil Dhokai: Grandma’s Hats (Narrative Short, 15 minutes) A granddaughter sorts through a hat collection left behind by her recently deceased grandmother. |
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| Anita Clark-Anderson: ARE YOU _______? (Documentary Short, 5 minutes) 21 unscripted responses about beliefs we all are familiar with. |
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| Rob Underhill, Hugh Oyake Murchison: The Line Jumper (Narrative Short, 6 minutes) Would you wait in line? |
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| Kevin Murray: A Twistful of Dollars (Narrative Short, 18 minutes) In this visually rich short film, two rival balloon twisters engage in an epic duel at a child’s birthday party—with hilarious and magical results. It’s like “High Noon,” with balloons! |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Saturday, May 13, 2023
Off-Site at 5311 Old Poole Road, Ste. 100 (follow link for map and directions)
| 9 to 10:30 a.m. | For Filmmakers: Introduction to Virtual Production, a workshop presented by Creative Visions and The 541 Co., that will provide a first-hand look at North Carolina’s first Unreal Engine–driven stage for video production. This workshop is free, but advance registration is required; space is limited. Registration for this workshop is closed. Note: This is an OFF-SITE workshop; transportation is not provided. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Demonstration Gallery, Lobby Level
| 11 a.m.–noon | For Filmmakers and Film Fans: Directing for the Actor/Acting for the Director, an interactive workshop with actor, director, writer, teacher, and coach Estes Tarver and actor-filmmaker-musician Meredith Snow. This workshop is free, but advance registration is required; space is limited. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| Film Block A 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Jason Stokes: You First* (Narrative Short, 8 minutes) An unlikely heroin addict reflects on the ramifications of her addiction in regard to the most important relationship of her life. |
| Peter McDowell: Jimmy in Saigon (Documentary Feature, 89 minutes) Generations after his brother’s death, director Peter McDowell uncovers secrets related to Jimmy’s sexuality and drug use. Jimmy died as a civilian in Saigon during the Vietnam War when Peter was only 5 years old. |
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| Katie Damien: Hope Rising* (Documentary Short, 6 minutes) When Joy, an army mechanic, goes to her commanding officer for help with an abusive partner who serves with her in the same unit, she’s told to cut him some slack. But after years of abuse, she’ll dare to hope for a permanent escape when the life of her son is threatened by the same abuser. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Longleaf Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 100 seats
| Film Block A 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Raymond Wallace: The Battle of Roanoke Island: Story of an Eye Witness, Musically Portrayed by Charles Grobe (Spoken Word, 8 minutes) This short film shares a song, originally created by prolific composer Charles Grobe, that tells an account of the 1862 Civil War battle of Roanoke Island. This is likely the first recording and performance of the piece in more than 160 years. |
| JC Summerford: Rockie Lynne: Where I Belong (Documentary Feature, 85 minutes) Enjoy the heartwarming story of army veteran and singer-songwriter-entertainer Rockie Lynne’s search for his biological family and for musical perfection. |
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| Dip Mazumder: Here and Now (Narrative Short, 14 minutes) When a father shows up unexpectedly at his son’s hotel room the day before the son’s first book launch, he finds himself confronting the chasms of the relationship. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Dogwood Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 30 seats
| Film Block A 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Michael Moore Pearce: RHD: Hidden Diagnosis (Documentary Short, 29 minutes) This story explores the impact of right-hemisphere brain damage (RHD) on stroke survivors by chronicling their struggles and achievements and by following a group of newly trained graduate support therapists from North Carolina Central University as they navigate the COVID pandemic and lead online RHD stroke survivor support groups. |
| Warren Gentry: For the Common Good: In Uncommon Times (Documentary Feature, 57 minutes) In a retirement community of 850 residents, where the median age is 84 years old—and includes numerous centenarians—the COVID pandemic could easily have left dozens dead. Instead, while the outside world unraveled amidst political upheaval and social turbulence, residents joined together with staff for the common good, relying on kindness and caring to overcome all odds. In the end, love and basic human decency crossed generational, racial, and socio-economic lines, and only two deaths were attributed to the virus. |
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| Dylan Crumpler: Petals of a Rose* (Narrative Short, 15 minutes) A woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder struggles to prevent her parts from getting triggered on Valentine’s Day. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| Film Block B 1 to 3 p.m. |
Michael Delano: Dear Mom (Narrative Short, 3 minutes) A look inside the complex relationship that lies between a mother and daughter and the lingering feeling of discomfort that grows from unresolved tension. |
| Stuart Howes: Tableau (Narrative Feature, 72 minutes) After having an affair, a mother tries to win back the respect of her oldest daughter, Nicole, while keeping the truth a secret from Nicole’s younger sister, Lou. |
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| Clarke Phillips: Suga Brown* (Narrative Short, 18 minutes) In a world where free health care requires genetic alterations, a pregnant woman, Eden, must go to extreme lengths to ensure her child is born free of mandated modification. |
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| Debbie Vu: Ma’s Kitchen (Narrative Short, 12 minutes) Ma’s Kitchen is a semi-autobiographical short film about Debbie Vu, her mother, their language barrier, and straddling between two very different cultures, Vietnamese and American. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Longleaf Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 100 seats
| Film Block B 1 to 3 p.m. |
Meagan Massa: In the Rearview (Documentary Short, 6 minutes) As two siblings look back on a road trip with their father 20 years earlier, they discover their memories have faded but the feelings they share remain the same. |
| Addie Navarro: Down River Jordan (Documentary Feature, 60 minutes) Five friends are the improbable explorers of a dying river on the border between Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. |
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| Mike O’Connell: George H. White, Searching For Freedom (Documentary Short, 26 minutes) Explore the inspiring life and enduring legacy of one of the most significant African American leaders of the Reconstruction Era. From humble beginnings in eastern North Carolina, White ascended through the ranks of state politics to serve in the US Congress as its sole Black voice. |
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| Bob Celli: My Over There (Narrative Short, 13 minutes) Lenore McDowell was a veteran of World War I, an army nurse, who, in this short, reveals a dramatic and deeply personal part of her life, her time “over there,” that she has never shared before. Inspired by a true story. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Dogwood Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 30 seats
| Film Block B 1 to 3 p.m. |
Patricia Allison Bradley: Meet Mr. Teeny of Hooper’s Creek (Animated Film, 2 minutes) In Hooper’s Creek, North Carolina, I made a discovery: living in my mailbox was a new friend. Meet Mr. Teeny, a bold jumping spider. It’s amazing the wonders that surround us. |
| Garrett Martin: The River Runs On (Documentary Feature, 56 minutes) Conservationists throughout southern Appalachia struggle to manage two of the most important national forests in America—the Pisgah and the Nantahala. |
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| Marisa Cohen, Peter Issac Alexander: The Cloaked Realm, “Tunnel 23” (Animated Film, 23 minutes) The crew of the A.R.E.S. space mission to Mars has assembled in the Thrace space station to prepare for their historic trip. Environmental collapse and a toxic environment have placed a great deal of attention on the mission, but something nefarious brewing aboard the Thrace and on Earth threatens its success. |
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| Patricia Allison Bradley: Sallie Blink (Documentary Short, 2 minutes) Deep in the mountain hollows of western North Carolina live the tiniest of creatures doing their thing: watching you as you walk by. |
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| Elijah Yetter-Bowman: Angel of Alabama* (Documentary Short, 25 minutes) Brenda Hampton, a seasoned investigator, uncovers decades of pollution within her hometown and snaps into action. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Demonstration Gallery, Lobby Level
| 2 to 3 p.m. | For Filmmakers and Film Fans: Legal Insights for Filmmakers Engage in a conversation—with arts and entertainment attorney Sheila Huggins and Beth Yerxa, of Triangle ArtWorks—and ask your questions about some of the many legal aspects of filmmaking. This workshop is free, but advance registration is required; space is limited. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| Film Block C 3 to 5 p.m. |
Megan McDeavitt: Dead Fair (Animated Film, 3 minutes) A very odd trip to the fair; and it’s based on a true story. |
| Christine Delp: Pickup (Narrative Short, 13 minutes) When a rideshare to the airport takes an unsettling turn, both passenger and driver struggle to keep control. |
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| Linda Veneris: Road Rage (Narrative Short, 8 minutes) A young man experiences a bout of road rage while doing a favor for his cousin. |
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| Ilia Silverstein: Ryde* (Narrative Short, 22 minutes) An ambitious self-help columnist develops a relationship with a lonely Ryde driver as the rideshare app is plagued by a string of killings. |
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| Dan Sellers: Brother’s Keeper* (Narrative Short, 6 minutes) A man and woman are subjected to a decidedly unpleasant social experiment. |
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| Alvin Sloan: Joyriders (Narrative Short, 20 minutes) While fleeing danger, a young woman meets a former acquaintance and begins to reevaluate her life. |
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| Cameron Parker: Sunset* (Narrative Short, 11 minutes) To end a torturous psychological loop, Danté, an accomplished artist, must face his feelings of guilt and responsibility over the death of his brother, Bo. |
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| Jim Boemio: Masterpiece, Episode 1: “Overture”* (Narrative Short, 6 minutes) A struggling violin student finds musical inspiration in committing violent acts, but mounting pressure from her roommate and professor threatens to push her past the point of no return. |
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| Graham High: The Housesitters* (Narrative Short, 16 minutes) Best friends Erin and Matt are underemployed entertainers—and terrible housesitters. When they find themselves staying at the site of an infamous murder, they begin to wonder if someone is trying to re-create the crime. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Longleaf Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 100 seats
| Film Block C 3 to 5 p.m. |
Michael Joseph Murray: Marcel, the Muscle Man* (Narrative Short, 14 minutes) A muscular but meek fellow strains under pressures of masculinity and his struggles to find work. After serendipitously landing a gig as a circus strongman, he proves to be a talented performer. But is he really man enough for the job? |
| Natalie Burchert: Sell the Girl* (Narrative Short, 11 minutes) Down on her luck during the 2008 recession, portrait artist Lorena answers an ad that’s searching for a young female painter. The work: wealthy Madam presents an opportunity to livestream Lorena’s life in exchange for a fruitful career. The catch: Lorena finds that the ever-present viewership has its own demands. |
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| Isabella Haddon, Jordan Zamojcin: Sundown (Middle and High School Student Film, Narrative Short; 13 minutes) Liz Alvarez works as a private eye at Adelaide Detective Agency, but she must join forces with Alicia Price, another private eye, in order to track down the so-called Sundown Murderer. No one expects them to succeed; however, they quickly discover a promising lead . . . |
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| Evan Kidd: First Final Ride (Documentary Short, 11 minutes) Don’t let your first ride in a hearse be your last. This is the story of Dirt Nap Fest, a hearse festival for all. |
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| Jim McQuaid: Last Words: Mary* (Narrative Short, 15 minutes) Todd’s troubled past includes a son from an earlier marriage, but he has settled down and done well for himself and his second wife, Mary. When she is killed in a traffic accident after reaching out to his estranged son, Mary still has one mission to accomplish. |
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| Brian J. Hutchins: Anniversary (Narrative Short, 12 minutes) A man deals with immense grief on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death. |
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| LaLa Halsema: Potluck (Narrative Short, 15 minutes) Masking her broken heart with positivity and one-liners, Carolyn tries desperately to belong. |
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| Estes Tarver: Fall Dance (Narrative Short, 13 minutes) Middle school is hard enough, but when Lily has her first-ever school dance, her world gets turned upside down. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Dogwood Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 30 seats
| Film Block C 3 to 5 p.m. |
John Reardon: Escape! from Long Island* (Narrative Feature, 80 minutes) Trapped among the ruins of a doomed Long Island, three old friends must work out their complicated history in order to escape. |
| Walter Ernest Haussner: Xpendable* (Narrative Short, 30 minutes) 1957. Two crime organizations. Two people sent in to avert a war. Who will walk away? |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| Film Block D 5 to 7:30 p.m. |
Justin Meckes: The Anxieties of a Reluctant Japanophile (Spoken Word, 10 minutes) Inspired by the work of Spalding Gray—an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and performance artist—this film is a monologue about anxiety, international travel, and Seven Years in Tibet. It was adapted from an essay that is part of a collection the author is currently editing. |
| Hart Ginsburg: “Moon Shadows, Part 2” (Music Video, 3 minutes) Part 2 of the Moon Shadows series reflects an encounter with a waiter, studying poetry, who spoke to me about her interest in Allen Ginsberg. The encounter felt déjà vu–like. |
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| Kieran Moreira: Lungs* (Narrative Short, 11 minutes) In the near future, when environmental disaster threatens humanity and oxygen is scarce, former baseball pitcher Satchel must fight to survive after turning her back on a group of violent murderers who are now hot on her heels. |
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| Justin Meckes: Escape Artist (Narrative Short, 3 minutes) A man with too many things to do decides to make his escape. |
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| Reese Robers: How to Survive Your First Date (Middle and High School Student Film, Narrative Short; 9 minutes) In this dark parody of 1950’s instructional films, Dotty and her date, Darryl, try to survive against the voyeuristic narrator manipulating them. |
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| Griffin Hart Davis, Wes Salisbury: 0530: Riding in the Dark (Documentary Short, 28 minutes) A community of pre-dawn cyclists realizes that the member’s bonds reach far beyond the sport. |
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| David Baeumler: 60 Second Thoughts: Volume Two (Spoken Word, 4 minutes) A new collection of anti-commercials created to question the answers. |
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| Noah Campagna: And Away (Narrative Short, 16 minutes) A young mother must protect her child as she finds the world around her is vanishing. |
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| Jim Haverkamp: The Voice in Isabel Fleiss’s Office (Narrative Short, 6 minutes) A woman with an unusual malady—cobweb buildup in the throat—receives an even more unusual treatment in this adaptation of a surreal poem by North Carolina writer Virgil Renfroe. |
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| Wes Andre Goodrich: Palm Sunday (Narrative Short, 15 minutes) Inspired by true events, this is a short southern gothic film about Jimmy, a young Black man who attempts to join an all-white church in 1970s North Carolina. |
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| André Silva: Revelation to the Disembodied* (Animated Film, 9 minutes) Fragments of a collective post-human dream construct a world that straddles hyper-technological, mythological, and ecological dimensions. |
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| Ralph Parker III: Sammy, Without Strings (Narrative Short, 16 minutes) A Black puppet named Sammy falls in love with a woman in the audience while performing at the hands of his malevolent puppeteer. As a result, Sammy sets his sights on freedom from his strings with plans to live a life of dignity and humanity with her. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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Daniels Auditorium, Lobby Level
Seating is Limited; Maximum Occupancy: 300 seats
| 7:30 p.m. | Awards Ceremony Join us for presentation of awards for Longleaf 2023 categories, including the Judges’ Choice winners. |
| 9 to 11 p.m. | Wrap Party! This is a FREE-to-attend public reception for friends, family members, and other supporters of filmmakers and Longleaf in the Voodoo Room event space at The Big Easy, 222 Fayetteville Street—just a few blocks away! Your favorite beverage is on you; munchies are on Longleaf. Donations support Longleaf 2024. The Wrap Party is open to all festival attendees. |
Click here for an alphabetical list of this year’s official selections—
and links to trailers and other information!
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*While the independent films shown at Longleaf Film Festival are not rated
by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA),
most would fall within the PG-13 range. Films that may fall outside the PG-13 range and/or
have a content or trigger warning are noted below.
| Angel of Alabama | community hardship |
| Brother’s Keeper | mature themes |
| Escape! from Long Island | language |
| Hope Rising | mature themes, sexual abuse, violence |
| Last Words: Mary | language |
| Lungs | flashing lights, language, violence |
| Marcel, the Muscle Man | language |
| Masterpiece, Episode 1: “Overture” | blood, language, mature themes, sexual abuse |
| Petals of a Rose | sexual abuse |
| Revelation to the Disembodied | flashing lights |
| Ryde | blood, mature themes |
| Sell the Girl | mature themes |
| Suga Brown | language, mature themes |
| Sunset | mature themes |
| The Housesitters | crude humor, language |
| Xpendable! | language, violence |
| You First | drug use |
| XX | XXsuicide |
| XX | XXflashing lightsXX |