SATURDAY 4:30 // COMING OF AGE

$15.00

Saturday, August 22, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:45* PM
*TICKETS AVAILABLE AUGUST 14TH*

Short films about the threshold between who you were and who you're becoming. Tender, raw, and impossibly real.

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

Saturday, August 22, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:45* PM
*TICKETS AVAILABLE AUGUST 14TH*

Short films about the threshold between who you were and who you're becoming. Tender, raw, and impossibly real.

*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

Henry and the Horrible Thing

Director: Phynley Joel

Country of Origin: United States

Synopsis: The Horrible Thing eats the worst children in town, and Henry is a prime candidate.... but no matter how many times he is warned - Henry Hobbs is not afraid of the Horrible Thing.

Website

The Oldest

Director: Cathlin McCullough

Country of Origin: United States

Premiere: Tennessee

Synopsis: 12-year-old Kate longs to escape her lonely reality as the oldest of 5 under the shadow of her father's addiction in this coming-of-age story set in late 80s rural Iowa. “The Oldest” focuses on the inner life of a girl forced to grow up too fast and highlights the gulf of difference between the heaviness of home life and the freedom of just being a kid.

Trailer | Website

Preparing for the Worst

Director: Taylor Parris Benjamin & Megan Jensen

Country of Origin: United States & Czech Republic

Premiere: Tennessee

Synopsis: Freja’s prepared a perfect meal for a first date, but when the boy she’s invited over starts to act strange, things take a dark turn.

Website

Something Wrong

Director: Paola Termine

Country of Origin: France

Synopsis: Blanche refuses to let her mother sell the piano. This piano belonged to her sick sister. While her mother seems to act as if nothing happened, Blanche tries her best to keep Anna's memory alive.

Website

When Big People Lie

Director: Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz

Country of Origin: United States

Premiere: Tennessee

Synopsis: Young Elvis’ world begins to sink when his mother marries an immigrant stranger for money.

Trailer | Website

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SATURDAY 4:30 // COMING OF AGE

FILMS IN THIS PROGRAM (ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

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