SATURDAY 7:00 // STRANGER THAN COMEDY

$15.00
sold out

Saturday August 23, 2025
7:00 PM - 8:15* PM
Main Theatre

Comedy… plus what? We’re not exactly sure, but these very funny, very odd short films carry a strange energy that lingers. Maybe something reflective? Human? Existential?  Whatever it is, it’s not your typical comedy fare. Best to come see for yourself.

*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening

Saturday August 23, 2025
7:00 PM - 8:15* PM
Main Theatre

Comedy… plus what? We’re not exactly sure, but these very funny, very odd short films carry a strange energy that lingers. Maybe something reflective? Human? Existential?  Whatever it is, it’s not your typical comedy fare. Best to come see for yourself.

*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening

Want to attend multiple screenings at Defy? The Weekend and Day Passes are the biggest bang for your buck!

A limited number of individual tickets will be available online for each screening the week of the festival.

FILMS IN THIS PROGRAM (ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

Featured
A Story Of Fish
A Story Of Fish

Director: Rusty Enger

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: True love is hard to find. It's even harder when you are a fish and you live in a fish tank with only one other fish.

Beefmaster Inn
Beefmaster Inn

Director: Zach Strum

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: Two siblings try to sell a mounted deer head.

Checkmate
Checkmate

Director: Nichole Lim

Country of Origin: United States

WORLD PREMIERE

Synopsis: As rehearsal blurs with reality, a friendship built on compliments and competition begins to crack. Wardrobe changes, emotional breakdowns, and mild blood loss ensue. A surreal and darkly funny look at ambition, self-delusion, and the performance of being fine.

Trailer | Website

Living Reality
Living Reality

Director: Philip Thompson

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: An exploration of the emotional divide between fiction and reality in the American sitcom.

Trailer | Website

SELF-TAPE
SELF-TAPE

Director: Conway Preston

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: A self-tape audition for a police procedural sends an actor spiraling into a full-blown existential crisis.

spot healing
spot healing

Director: Ryan Woodring

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: spot healing explores the intricacies of illness, diagnosis, and labor in post-AI visual culture. Posing as a software tutorial from the “Image E.R.” YouTube channel, a confident host demonstrates how to “heal” sick images using increasingly experimental methods ranging from miming to machine learning while undergoing a series of intense physical and emotional transformations.

Trailer | Website

This is Us
This is Us

Director: Kevin Ralston

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: "A confrontation between two people over a bag of food on the side of a road turns into a moving story about truth. The film was made for the 2024 T*** B*** Film Festival."

Website

We Need To Talk About Balloons
We Need To Talk About Balloons

Director: Jennifer Bonior

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: Dani’s mom may be ready to exploit her daughter for personal gain, but Dani’s not having any of it. She’s Dani the Destroyer, the youngest and greatest magician of all time. And she’s about to take the stage.

Trailer | Website

Wolf Puppy
Wolf Puppy

Director: Sam Osborn

Country of Origin: United States

WORLD PREMIERE

Synopsis: Wolf Puppy is a surreal dark comedy about a lonely man searching for meaning and connection in a disconnected, digital world. After resonating deeply with an edgy meme, he embarks on an unexpected journey into the woods—where reality blurs, a talking wolf appears, and his self-image is put to the test. Wolf Puppy explores identity, isolation, and the absurd lengths we go to feel seen.