Best Documentary Short Films (Chandler International Film Festival)

27 Minutes

Directed by: Alexander Sworik

Run Time: 27 minutes 0 seconds, Canada

Premiere status: World Premiere

On a frozen Ontario highway, first responders pulled a lifeless woman from a submerged car. Twenty-seven minutes underwater. No pulse. No breath. They’d seen this ending before—countless times. But this time, something was different. Ashlyn lived.

A Promise of Paradise

Directed by: Thomas Machowicz

Run Time: 15 minutes 39 seconds, United States

Premiere status: Phoenix Premiere

In A Promise of Paradise, the quiet fields of Oklahoma become the backdrop for an unexpected moral awakening.

Jade Earrings of the Last Empress

Directed by: Lin Zuo / Marlin Darrah

Run Time: 17 minutes 0 seconds, United States

Premiere status: World Premiere

Intrigued by a pair of jade earrings once worn by the last Empress of China, a young Asian American woman “travels back in time” — journeying to three vibrant worlds: cosmopolitan Shanghai in the 1930s, the twilight of the Qing dynasty in the early 1900s, and the dazzling yet conflicted Hollywood of the 1950s and 60s.

Anywhere My Canvas

Directed by: Sangsun Choi

Run Time: 7 minutes 25 seconds, United States

Premiere status: Arizona Premiere

Youngsook and Mia are artists with immigrant backgrounds living in America. Their unique life experiences have deeply influenced their artwork in compelling ways. For both, painting is more than a craft—it holds a lasting, personal significance that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

The Invisible Patient

Directed by: Herry Fuentes / Jaden Quan

Run Time: 28 minutes 0 seconds, United States

Premiere status: Arizona Premiere

The Invisible Patient is an independent documentary film that examines the systematic failures of the Behavioral Healthcare industry in rural Colorado, and the consequential crises of addiction, homelessness, and criminality.

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Host or Publisher Chandler International Film Festival