


FRIDAY 6:45 // UNHINGED: A DEFY RETROSPECTIVE
Friday, August 22, 2025
6:45 PM - 8:00* PM
Main Theatre
A selection of some of the BEST of the BEST short films from Defy’s first 10 years. But since the world is burning all around us, curating this program took on a life of its own. What emerged is bold, erratic, emotional, absurd… and yes, unhinged.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Friday, August 22, 2025
6:45 PM - 8:00* PM
Main Theatre
A selection of some of the BEST of the BEST short films from Defy’s first 10 years. But since the world is burning all around us, curating this program took on a life of its own. What emerged is bold, erratic, emotional, absurd… and yes, unhinged.
*Run time includes 15+ minute filmmaker Q&A after screening
Friday, August 22, 2025
6:45 PM - 8:00* PM
Main Theatre
A selection of some of the BEST of the BEST short films from Defy’s first 10 years. But since the world is burning all around us, curating this program took on a life of its own. What emerged is bold, erratic, emotional, absurd… and yes, unhinged.
*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):
Director: Holly Laurent
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2021
Synopsis: A young woman grapples with the supernatural origins of a family dinner.
Director: Greg Sharp
Country of Origin: Serbia
Defy Year: 2019
Synopsis: In the future all people will be men and and all men will be crabs and all crabs will be thirsty.
Director: Stan
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2016
Synopsis: Glorious Times is a short, experimental documentary that meditates on the experience of a death metal festival and the passion of its fans.
Director: Ruwan Heggelman
Country of Origin: The Netherlands
Defy Year: 2023
Synopsis: Unknowingly, a girl enters the habitat of a tribe of killer gnomes during her daily run. Lured by mysterious glowing mushrooms, she'll soon wish she'd stayed on her usual tracks...
Director: David Guillermo Barba
Country of Origin: Mexico
Defy Year: 2022
Synopsis: An undocumented Mexican house cleaner finds something unexpected and controversial in the homeowners' closet. She leaves an unmistakable message.
Director: Kevin Ralston
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2022
Synopsis: An intense dive into the world of one man and his quest.
Director: Brendan Walter
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2021
Synopsis: An innocent conversation about a new car between a Juggalo boyfriend and girlfriend devolves into an existential, harrowing relationship crisis surrounding infidelity, family and their (possibly fabricated) deepest darkest secrets.
Website
Director: Steven Arrigada
Country of Origin: Australia
Defy Year: 2017
Synopsis: Pauline, a full time carer for her disabled son Nathan, orchestrates a ruse to form a meaningful connection with the man next door.
Director: Bill E Mitchell
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2022
Synopsis: Two self described independent thinkers on their search for personal truth, work themselves into a frenzy as they hasten toward a reality more shadowy than they could ever have expected.
Director: Eileen O'Meara
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2017
Synopsis: You know the nagging thoughts that start with "did I leave the coffee on?" and turn in to "am I pregnant with a devil-baby?” This hand-drawn animation explores anxiety, obsession, and one woman’s slippery hold on reality.
Director: Sophia Parella
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2024
Synopsis: A man gains a deeper understanding of purpose after helping a talking streetlight through its existential crisis.
Director: Frédéric Doazan
Country of Origin: France
Defy Year: 2019
Synopsis: A surgeon creates in real time the new goddess of beauty.
Director: Adam Vincent Wright
Country of Origin: United States
Defy Year: 2019
Synopsis: A child learns sign language in hopes of making a new friend.