The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce our Opening Night Showcase featuring a fantastic selection of award-winning shorts and in-person filmmaker Q&As. This collection of five short films highlights human connection and individual identity, and spans across documentary, realistic fiction, and fantasy genres.
The Short Stories Showcase screens at 7:00pm on Tuesday, March 17th as part of the Fargo Film Festival. Featured filmmakers will appear in person after their respective screenings for a Q&A and conversation about the making of the film.
FEATURING: Babka with Writer/Director Serena Dykman
Serena Dykman is a New York–based filmmaker and self-described “culture-clasher” who uses storytelling to connect people through humor, heart, and humanity. Her global upbringing fuels her passion for exploring identity and cross-cultural connections.
At just 23, Serena directed her debut feature documentary NANA, about her grandmother’s survival of Auschwitz, and in 2024 alone, she directed three shorts—BABKA, M.U.B., and AT SEE.
Synopsis:
In the heart of Hasidic Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a newly blind Jewish Orthodox baker forms an unlikely friendship with a Queer Catholic Latino guide dog trainer, embarking on an eye-opening journey to overcome personal and cultural barriers in his quest to reopen his beloved bakery.
FEATURING: Tiny Movements with Director Laura Sweeney and film subject Jenn Green
Laura Sweeney is a screenwriter, director, and actress whose work includes both narrative pieces and documentaries, and seeks to highlight and uplift women’s voices. Her work has been selected by multiple film festivals, including Vail Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, and HollyShorts.
Synopsis:
Jenn Green, a professionally trained modern dancer and mother of two, discovers video recordings of her husband raping her after drugging her with high doses of Ambien. After escaping with her children, she created the social media project “Tiny Kitchen Dances” to help break her isolation, share her story, and heal day by day.
Other films included in the Opening Night Showcase:
We Were the Scenery, Directed by Christopher Radcliff
Shanti Rides Shotgun, directed by Charles Frank
The Sentry, directed by Jake Wachtel (Narrative Short Honorable Mention)