Schedule
The 11th HIDFF (JAN 2025)
11th Season Schedule
This event will be held at the Sherry Theater in North Hollywood on January 31st 2025.
For details on the venue location, see our Festival page.
BLOCK A - Jan 31 at 11:20am
RARE: A Rare Disease Revolution (USA)
A documentary that unveils what stands between the families fighting rare disease, hoping for treatments, and the emerging groundbreaking therapies available.
Directed by John Beder and Lainey Moseley
Proud Stutter (Germany)
The story of Maya, who grew up with a stutter she believed she needed to overcome, embarking on a transformative journey of self-acceptance.
Written & Directed by Karina Ulrike Sturm
Becca Comes to Visit (USA)
When David’s energetic and charismatic sister Becca comes home for a visit, the two clash heads over lifestyles and hidden loneliness.
Directed by Skya Theobald
Written by Quinn Theobald
Cast: Ethan Josh Lee (Asteroid City, Mr. Robinson, Kajillionaire), Junah Jang (Annie: It's the Hard Knock Life, Pack Up and Go, Exit Strategy), Morgan Gwilym Tso, David Mazouz (Gotham, Touch, The Darkness, The Office)
The Rain Lady (USA)
When Noor, an illegal Arab immigrant, and her five-year-old daughter Yara encounter a day that spirals with difficulties due to Noor’s illegal status, they navigate feeling voiceless, powerless, and alienation in the U.S. by envisioning a folk tale that brings them hope.
Directed by Lyla Mzayek
Written by Lyla Mzayek, Yasmine Mzayek, and Aidan Peterson
Cast: Soleila Shea, Sue Shaheen, Ahmed El-Mawas (Rescuing Christmas, Resurrected, The Recruit)
In The Night (USA)
A young man struggles with his thoughts of revenge after the murder of his brother.
Directed by Benigno Alvarado
Written by James Crawford III
Cast: Zay Lyons, Daylen Richardson, Kevin Godette
Grace (USA)
In her journey toward healing, Grace demonstrates courage under pressure as she actively works to processes the trauma of sexual assault that has been bubbling under the surface for far too long with the help of her supportive therapist, Susan utilizing EMDR therapy.
Written & Directed by Sara Hills
Cast: Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Shannon Shae Marie, Vishay V. Singh, Marley Phillips, Ricardo Alzate, Phillip Andre Botello
BLOCK B - Jan 31 at 2:00pm
Under the Influence (USA)
A grief-struck young woman immerses herself in the world of social media to avoid dealing with her reality.
Written & Directed by Sonya Yasmeen Ghori
Cast: Kianna Kyn (Aunt Liz), Rami Abushhab (Law & Order, Chicago P.D., Maqluba, Broke Down Drone)
Anemoia (Hong Kong)
When a despondent girl tells her estranged father about her intentions to move abroad, conflicting feelings and internalised emotions from her upbringing in Hong Kong boil to the surface.
Written & Directed by Christopher Li
Cast: Kristie Lam, Steven O'Ty
Narrow Path To Happiness (Hungary)
A young gay Romani couple from a remote village in Hungary has a dream so absurd that it seems impossible: making a musical film based on their lives. Against all odds, they move to Budapest just as the Hungarian government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and hostile toward LGBTQ+ people.
Directed by Kata Olah
Written by Kata Olah, Borbála Csukás, Marc Smolowitz
BLOCK C - Jan 31 at 4:20pm
The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life (USA)
This 55-minute poetic documentary features stories about eight individuals who are part of the San Francisco Bay Area Iranian-American community. It narrates a longer arc of history that begins with the arrival of Iranians as students in the early 1960s, their participation in social and artistic movements, as well as their contributions to the communities where they live and work. It also tells the larger history of US-Iran relations through themes of exile, alienation, and separation, particularly in the context of the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis, but also more recent events like the 2017 "Muslim Ban." The narrative is told by the characters themselves, and highlights both their resilience and their fortitude and the ways that they find new ways of belonging and redefining "home."
Directed by Persis M Karim and Soumyaa Behrens
Cast: Parviz Shokat, Bella Warda, Taraneh Hemami, Mokhtar Paki, Torange Yeghiazarian, Goli Mohebbi, Hanif Sadr
Mistura (USA)
In 1960s Peru, a privileged French-Peruvian woman's life unravels when her husband's betrayal ostracizes her from elite society, and leads her to embrace people from the very communities that she was raised to disregard. Amidst the backdrop of newfound alliances, she embarks on a transformative journey that challenges societal norms and reveals Peru's authentic identity through a daring culinary venture that celebrates the country's remarkably diverse cuisine and peoples, igniting a revolution that redefines her life.
Written & Directed by Ricardo de Montreuil
Cast: Barbara Mori (Rubi, La Mujer de Mi Hermano, Viento en Contra, Treintena Soltera y Fantástica, El Complot Mongol), Pudy Ballumbrosio, Christian Meier (No Se Lo Digas A Nadie, La Mujer de mi Hermano, El Zorro y la Rosa, Magallanes), Stefano Meier, Juan Pablo Olyslager (La Llorona, Temblores), Hermelinda Luján (Willaq Pirqa)
BLOCK D - Jan 31 at 7:05pm
Don't Look Now (USA)
A diverse group of teachers and staff at a training center for the visually impaired must navigate the daily challenges of working for an underfunded non-profit.
Written & Directed by Geno Marx
Cast: Michael Galante (Good Trouble), Nathan Hurd (She-Hulk), Hannah Taragan, Olga Itsenko, Brian McCarthy, Diane Villegas, Mikaylee Mina, Patrick Agada, Ramona DuBarry, Nimo Lire
Exhausted Existence: An EDS Story (USA)
Four journeys of people who suffer from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and how they navigate life through the complex medical system and how they find hope in life.
Directed by Jennifer Kain
AWARDS PRESENTATION
Awards will be presented at 9:25pm on Jan 31st.
Previous season schedule
