How does setting–a sense of place, the look of a landscape, the law of the land–shape a story? These nine stunning films take the audience on a journey from the mountains of Yellowstone to the rooftops of Saigon, from a California diner boiling over with political tension to a valley in the Philippines where nothing is what it seems. The stories they tell are as varied and beautiful as the landscapes their characters inhabit.
Screenings
Films
Encuentro Americano
MT Premiere | MTFF Alumni | USA | 11 MINUTES | Spanish, English
On a hot Sunday morning, in a bustling American diner, the fragile lives of strangers collide over greasy breakfasts, black coffee reflections, and tense interactions amidst the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
It Doesn’t Pass
MT Premiere | MTFF Alumni | USA | 4 MINUTES | English
A man manifests an entity to guide him through a difficult night.
Mango
MT Premiere | UK & France | 11 MINUTES | English
Zadie suffers from fibroids which are morphing unpredictably inside of her. When a dream job appears, she is forced to act before the unwanted growths take over.
Paydirt
MT Premiere | USA | 16 MINUTES | English
Underpaid and overworked, two low-level gig-economy hitmen drive into the Utah desert to confront their elusive boss.
Ragamuffin
USA | 14 MINUTES | English
A young female motocross rider, Ryan “Ragamuffin” Myles spends what seems like an average race weekend with her father. But as the weekend unfolds, 12-year-old Ryan is faced with a multitude of challenges on and off the track.
Rooftop Lempicka
MT Premiere | Vietnam, USA | 20 MINUTES | Vietnamese
While her mother is expecting her second child, 10-year-old Thi befriends young club waitress Ngoc who has just rented a room in her family′s Saigon home. As their friendship grows, she finds out that Ngoc is an undisclosed sex worker.
Sierras
MT Premiere | USA | 3 MINUTES
The landscapes and ecology of Yellowstone transition from fall to winter. With unique, experimental 16mm cinematography and sound design, the perception of a pristine natural environment quickly decays into something otherworldly.
The Truck
MT Premiere | USA | 13 MINUTES | English
An impulsive Chinese-American teen and her boyfriend try to buy the morning-after pill in post-Roe America.
