BEST OF THE FEST: SHORTS PROGRAM Streaming July 8–22 Tickets: $12 The shorts program brings together compact, powerful stories of queer identity, family history, imagination, danger, activism, and longing. BERGAMOTA Directed by Hsu Chien Brazil | 15 minutes Inspired by real events, BERGAMOTA is an LGBTQ+ thriller/slasher that begins with the scent of bergamot — the name given to tangerines in southern Brazil — and unfolds into a night of seduction, sensual dancing, blood, and revenge. The film has won numerous awards internationally and brings a queer social-horror edge to the program. BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN Directed by Katie Fitzgerald United States | 8 minutes A documentary short about a family uncovering the story of Great Aunt Betty, who entered the convent in 1946 after growing up in an Irish-Catholic family in Chicago. As Betty’s close friendship with a classmate helped her understand that she did not want the future expected of her, the film becomes a moving portrait of women’s agency, hidden histories, and the choices available to queer women in an earlier generation. FIAT LUX 5000 Directed by Daniel Eduvijes Carrera United States | 13 minutes Devoted gay son Manuel Espinoza tests an experimental brain modulation device — the Fiat Lux 5000 — in an attempt to reconnect with his dementia-afflicted father. What begins as an intimate act of care triggers the eruption of a violent family legacy. FREE ZHI KAI Directed by Len Sanqui United States | 5 minutes This short documentary follows Zhi Kai Vanderford, a transgender Asian activist and artist who has been incarcerated for 37 years for murder. Told through his own art and words, and through the people fighting for his release, FREE ZHI KAI is a compact and urgent portrait of art, survival, and advocacy. LAS COSAS QUE BRILLAN Directed by Kristal Sotomayor United States | 11 minutes A curious trans mermaid defies her mother’s warnings and ventures to the surface, only to discover that the world above is not what she dreamed. This lyrical coming-of-age story explores environmental destruction, desire, colonial imagination, and the danger of being seen. THE BLACKEST RAINBOW Directed by Mojtaba Darbandi Iran | 14 minutes A parallel story of two young gay men living within a traditional and rigid society. In order to protect their relationship and everything they hold dear, they must face challenges created by the cultural structure around them, as unwanted crises cast an ever-growing shadow over their lives.