What Doesn't Kill You

Enjoy the Silence

June 2023 •Spanish

Haunted by the weight of an unfinished project, an architect battles insomnia by silencing distractions within his home. In the depths of silence, he confronts inner demons, leading to a haunting journey with a destructive outcome.

Body So Fluorescent

October 2020 •English

Two friends have a falling out after a night of dancing.

Pretty Boy

March 2015 •English

Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

In This Moment

April 2024 •English

“In This Moment” follows Love, a trans woman navigating the complexities of polyamory and self-discovery in a world that often challenges her right to exist. As she unravels what it means to be truly seen and cherished, she confronts the ways love manifests—fluid, unpredictable, and boundless, much like the ocean itself. This story is a testament to resilience, intimacy, and the ever-shifting tides of identity and belonging.

Aloof

December 2020 •Hebrew

Yariv is a shy photographer charged to take photos at a family birthday. The photographs he takes highlight his problematic relationship with his brother, and increasingly intertwine to his extreme sexual experiences at the gay sauna.

Marriage Wows

December 1929 •English

Second Talkartoon by the Fleischer Studios. UCLA has nitrate elements on this title, therefore is not a lost cartoon.

29 Palms

October 2024 •English

A successful Japanese interior designer travels to Joshua Tree with her American boyfriend and must confront her stagnant relationship while struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide.

Alexander the Brain

March 2022 •English

Dive into the mind of Alexander Conroy, a bare-knuckle boxer in the 1880's. Approached by a young fighter, Charlie, who idolizes him, he takes Charlie under his wing into the dangerous testosterone-fueled world of bare-knuckle boxing.

Less

May 2014 •English

A teen faced with anorexia attempts to divert from the harmful path that he has created for himself while he is faced with pressure from family, friends, and his own inner demons.

Beautifully Damaged

June 2013 •English

A young girls struggle with anorexia and the death of her mother, and her strained relationship with her father.

Mother's Death Anniversery

August 2018 •English

A young woman suffering from anorexia goes back home and reconnects with her family on her mother's anniversary of death.

A Calling Void

February 2022 •English

A Calling Void is a short documentary-drama that sheds light on the complexity of emotion, distortions of reality and desperate needs for control a young woman encounters during her struggle with anorexia. Limited screenings in Vancouver are pending further festival submissions.

Everyone is Perfect

November 1994 •French

Esther watches TV and comes across a reality show where she recognizes her ex-husband disguised as a woman. Stunned, she decides to no longer entrust Charles, their son, to him for the Christmas holidays. The perfect world is more complex...

Amaretto Sour

October 2016 •French

Gay Jesus

December 2015 •English

Once upon a time in a cheap Jerusalem hotel room, Jesus and Judas are spending their time away from Nazareth between hot, sweaty, carnal love and preparing sermons for Jesus' growing fanbase. Enter Mary Magdalene, jealousy, Satan, and the Romans, and the once-perfect love affair between Judas and Jesus becomes a hellish ring of fire, leading Judas to betray his beloved Christ and the Romans to punish everyone for trying to turn everyone gay.

Pria

May 2017 •Indonesian

Caught between the traditions of his upbringing in rural Indonesia and his idealization of Western freedom, a teenager struggles with the expectations of imminent manhood.

Pedro

July 2016 •Portuguese

Pedro gets home at dawn. Before the young boy falls asleep, his lonely mother drags him to the beach.

Full

January 2001 •English

Jamie is a young man who suffers from both anorexia and bulimia. His memories of being teased for being over-weight coupled with people's treatment of his sudden weight loss lead him to question his decisions for the first time. We are allowed into his reality and given insight into his perspective as he holds everyone at a distance while he examines the details of his disillusioned world. And this allows him to see just how paper thin the reality he has been living in truly is. "Full" is not about overcoming an eating disorder; it is about understanding an eating disorder, and how a young man comes to understand it.

The Colour Blue

June 2024 •English

Reece tries to find the courage to come out to his family and friends.

The Opening

June 2016 •Polish

A gallery owner is opening an unusual exhibition: An artist who is terminally ill wishes to die in front of an audience.