Since 2013, the Leiden International Film Festival has featured the American Indie Competition, featuring independent Feature films by North American filmmakers. In our American Indie Shorts competition, we are looking for North American filmmakers with unique visions and stories to tell, on universal or region specific experiences.
Albatross
Amandine Thomas
Maria, burdened with caregiving for her sick husband, gets invited to a party.
Casualty
Vadim Egoul
At the outset of Desert Storm, a mortally wounded surgeon reflects on his history—both personal and political—as he observes the bombing of Baghdad from a well outside the city.
La Lucha de Lucía
Maria Sofia Hernandez
After another defeat in the ring, a teenage wrestler must challenge her family’s traditions and fight to prove herself in the world of Lucha Libre.
So, Boom
Abby Pierce
The night before her teenage sister Marie heads to jail, Sweet Tea must deliver a crash course on “how to jail,” drawn from her own time locked up. What begins as a chaotic evening unravels into a focused lesson: a DIY tutorial on commissary cuisine, jail makeup hacks, and the unspoken rules of life inside. But beneath the humor is urgency, grief, and the aching need to protect someone you love from the system that failed you both.
Inspired by a real conversations between co-writer Tiny Cruz and a friend facing incarceration, “So, Boom” was developed in jail-based theater classes in New York City at facilities like Riker’s Island. Many of the lessons shared were learned by Tiny when she herself was incarcerated as a teen..
Stay for the Q&A
Hazart
More of a comment, than a question…
The Birthday Gift
Arianna Ortiz
On an icy Chicago night, an unexpected guest upends the lives of an Argentine mother and daughter over the course of an intimate birthday dinner.