Schedule

April 17, 2025

Michigan-ish

7:30 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

The opening night of this year's iFFY features a broad selection of short films from our mittened little corner of the world...

When Life Gives You A Lawnmower

Things go awry as 1950s couple Dick and Brenda prepare for company.

Enter Dick, a blatant misogynist with a superiority complex who just can't get his lawnmower started. Next, his wife Brenda, an innocent housewife who only wants her yard looking as best it can for company arriving soon. Then, a terrible accident ensues and Dick gets exactly what's coming to him.

Arcturus Beaming

Sam takes a road trip and discovers the beauty and the spectacle of virtual connections crossing into the real world. The Official Music video for the song, Arcturus Beaming, by The Crane Wives.

CYANOTYPE

Photographer Pauly V. Navigates life with chronic illness through eco-experimental film photography.

Breasts Not Included: A Mastectomy Story

Award-winning autobiographical short film about a mastectomy journey. And the questions that follow about how to define beauty, femininity and strength. Produced by ArtPeers and Dance In The Annex (DITA).

Cannolis

Set in the heart of Detroit, Rob Stifle embraces his past as he conducts research for his new book. As he dives deeper into his memories, Rob's mind and life slowly unravel as he comes to terms with his grief. Confused and disillusioned, Rob calls into question his reality.

Fiddler's Green

At a rest stop bar in the middle of nowhere, a mysterious proprietor helps a guilt-ridden man reckon with his choices.

I Wish to Know Your Dreams

I Wish to Know Your Dreams is a short film largely inspired by early fantasy films like A Trip To The Moon by Georges Méliès, 1902. In the film an old caretaker is oblivious to the magic that happens when 2 young girls find a tiny butterfly fairy in a botanical garden. Human connection happens whether we see it or not.

Shadowing

A Korean woman who recently moved to the United States found it strange to "shadow" a White person (learning English by imitating a native English speaker). She is trying to understand the history and power dynamics surrounding this shadowing practice.

Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell is a poignant short narrative film that delves into the artist's journey of self-discovery and the universal quest to "know who we are." Through reflective internal dialogue, the story explores the act of surrendering personal desires, embracing the present, and honoring our needs to uncover an authentic sense of self. At its core, the film redefines liberation as a deeply personal and transformative process.

Calculate_(Freedom)

Calculate{Freedom} narrates a researcher who uses her ancestral knowledge of spacetime to travel into the past and visit a relative’s home. There she finds an artifact (a Dikenga map) to open a portal to an alternate present.

That Bolex Thing

The Bolex is a Swiss-made film camera that played a pivotal role in the development of independent and avant-garde filmmaking. Introduced in the 1920’s, the camera's lightweight and portable design made it an accessible choice for filmmakers who wanted to break away from the constraints of large studio productions. The affordable price point democratized the filmmaking process, enabling filmmakers to explore new creative avenues and push the boundaries of the art of cinema.

The aesthetic look produced by the Bolex is equally unique and significant. The 16mm images display a textured and grainy image quality. The resulting visuals are synonymous with the visionary and poetic aesthetic of artist inspired filmmaking.

April 18, 2025

Best of the London International Animation Festival 2024

7:00 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

The London International Animation Festival (LIAF) is the UK’s largest, longest-running animation festival, screening annually since 2003. This programme is a snapshot of the most recent festival - 8 short films that promise to inspire, delight and challenge the notion that animation is merely for the 3D CGI blockbuster genre or cute cartoons for kids. Independent animation is an art form that continues to thrive and develop as a breathtaking medley of styles, materials, techniques and production - from hand drawn, paint on glass, collage, sculpture, cut outs, puppets, abstract, sand/salt, to some of the more interesting developments in CGI – all of which can be seen in this programme. For more information about LIAF please visit our website at www.liaf.org.uk

Mee and Burd

A post operative existential crisis inspires an animator to make a film about a post operative existential crisis.

Tennis, Oranges

In a pandemic-era hospital, a robotic vacuum, bored by its repetition, decides to quit. Seeking a more meaningful existence, it ventures to a quiet Chinatown street. There, it encounters two solitary rabbits, each trapped in their own repetitive routines. As the vacuum befriends one of these characters, it finds a sense of community and begins to explore a broader purpose beyond its programmed tasks of cleaning. A dance ensues and for a time things are good. But all good things in life can't last.

Noggin

No sugarcoatin' it, you've got brain damage from multiple sclerosis. Your memories are fading so gather everything left in that noggin, like paper and ink and photos and love of course. Start with the foundation and don't give up. Soon you'll have a palace.

(S)

An immersive loop of organic forms, reflecting on the entangled nature of life and art.

Bunnyhood

What could possibly be more important than feeding your daughter?

Humanity

Life is hard even without having to tolerate other people's annoying habits. The problem is you can't kill somebody just because they chew too loudly. But in this animated world, you can make all your dark visions of fatal revenge a reality.

I Am A Robot

An autonomous vacuum cleaner, a self-driving car and a supercomputer confess their innermost thoughts as they go about their day.

Missed Connections

‘Missed Connections’ is an online forum where anyone can post their story, in hopes of reconnecting with someone they shared a passing moment with.

Body Betrays Itself

9:00 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

a collection of short horror and suspense films examining the vengeful, obsessive, and cathartic ways we relate to gender and the body.

A Fermenting Woman

On the brink of getting fired from her restaurant by new owners, visionary chef and master fermenter Marielle Lau (Sook-Yin Lee) develops an incendiary new dish with a bewitching ingredient she’s convinced will save her career.

Belly Belly

A tongue-in-cheek LGBTQ+ body-horror satire about connection, compulsion, and, belly-obsession in the tiktok epoch. Body Dysmorphia's a hell of a drug. But you can't ignore the hunger forever

Dirty Bad Wrong

Desperate to keep her promise to host the best superhero party for her 6 year old, young mother Sid, a sex worker, takes extreme measures and books a last-minute client with a dark fetish.

Izzy

Izzy slowly realises that she doesn’t want to admit to societal expectations anymore.

Mauled By a Dog

After his girlfriend is viciously attacked by a dog, a lowly call center worker ventures on a surreal mission for vengeance through the dark underbelly of the South Wales Valleys. ‍

Shadow

A young mother's shadow takes on a life of its own and terrorizes her and her daughter over the course of one night.

Stuck

A man gets stuck in his sex doll.

April 19, 2025

Stop Motion Animation Workshop - Tamara Finlay

1:00 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - North Gallery

Dearborn native pluralist artist, member of Tink Tank Animate, and Kresge Filmmakers Animation 2024 Honorary Grant Award Winner Tamara Finley brings an accessible, beginner friendly approach to stop motion animation to the Riverside Arts Center.

Union

1:30 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

Riverside Arts Center - Theater

76 N Huron St., Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Up against one of the most powerful companies on the planet, a group of Amazon workers embark on an unprecedented campaign to unionize their warehouse in Staten Island, New York.

Funding for Films - Eli Rarey

3:00 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - North Gallery

How do you raise money to make a film? In this interactive workshop, join independent filmmaker Eli Rarey to learn how to create a funders package to raise money, and where to start when looking for investors. If you have a project you're raising funds for, bring your materials and get feedback to improve your approach. If you have never raised money for a movie before, this is a great place to learn how.

An Evening with MLY: Media Live Ypsi Preview

4:30 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

In advance of their inaugural edition, Media Live Ypsi will present a preview of three live performances, offering a glimpse of what audiences can expect from the festival's first season this fall.

iFFY Shortlist

7:00 PM

These shorts come handpicked by the whole iFFY team! As appreciation for our community sharing a passion for cinema and art with us for 6 seasons, team iFFY brings you some of our favorite indie shorts.

Pure Magic

A crew of neurodivergent artists collaborates to document the unique creative process of Tamara Finlay, a stop-motion artist whose work blends family history, folklore, and personal healing. Drawing from her Ukrainian roots, Tamara incorporates her grandparents, the mythic Baba Yaga, and fragments of her past self to explore themes of identity, heritage, and resilience. As she brings her visions to life, Tamara taps into the power of art to bridge generational divides, using creativity as a means of healing that transcends both time and trauma one frame at a time.

Mum Does The Washing

Mums explain the world one article of clothing at a time.

The Everlasting Life of Debbie Gomolka

Debbie Gomolka believes there are two perfect things in life: soup in a bread bowl and her plan to create a memorable legacy. She's wrong about both.

You Go Girl!

Audrey, a New York City comedian who can make a joke of any situation, faces a staggering challenge in the beautiful mountains of Oregon. Can this city woman overcome her fears and rise?

Morning Sailboats

A lonely young storage facility worker struggles to accept her sexuality outside the safety of her routines, collection of objects, and daydreams.

You Will See

A young photographer, desperately looking for the perfect moment, falls prey to a supernatural camera.

Room Taken

When a man, new to Ireland, experiences homelessness and needs a place to sleep, he secretly takes up residence in the home of an elderly blind woman, which leads to them forming a unique bond.

iFFY 26.2 Filmmaking Marathon Screening

9:00 PM @ Riverside Arts Center - Theater

A screening of the 4 minute films that have been shot as part of iFFY’s 26.2 hour filmmaking marathon. 

iFFY 26.2 Filmmaking Marathon Screening placeholder

Buy Tickets

Date: April 17-19, 2025

Location: Riverside Arts Center, 76 North Huron Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

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