2023 Carole Dorothy Joyce Grant for Student Filmmakers – Finalists 

“From Earth to Earth” takes a critical look at the rituals dictated by America’s death-denying culture and asks, “How can people trying to cope with the death of a loved one be better served?” Our documentary takes the viewer deep into the woods of Vermont and the meadows of central New York where deathwork pioneers are inspiring a new way of thinking about life, death, and our enduring connection to nature. Along the way, we explore the systematic problems of the death industry and provide insight into alternative paths for returning our bodies to the embrace of the Earth - and a whole new approach to burial, funerals, and life itself.

Whether it was Lindy-Hop in the '20s or House in the '80s, Street Dance has remained a ritual for black communities despite its threatened survival. By diving into New York City’s past and present, this film unveils the turbulent evolution of Street Dance and traces its journey from the tumultuous era of the Cabaret Laws into the cultural behemoth it is today.

Reflecting on her life as a seven-year-old, a woman recounts the experience living in a dysfunctional queer household while California repealed gay marriage during the 2008 election.

On a pitch black night, Ralph realized that his wife had a sexual relationship with their mutual friend. There is now a big question mark over their child's identity. Storming out, he wanders the streets, clubs, bars, gambling, etc. He experiences intense emotional, intellectual, and physical stimulation to such an extent that he has no choice but to encounter another side of his self.

When her father, a death row inmate, lies about his reasons for being in prison, A hyper-imaginative child unknowingly petitions for his retrial amidst his impending execution.

FROM THE HEART:

Watch You Rise is a character-driven documentary about teen and young adult sexual assault with two central characters. The primary character is the filmmaker, Isabella Cohn, a young activist on a journey to call attention to the under-represented voices of teens and young adults who have been sexually assaulted, including herself. The second is Isabella's mother, Susannah, also a survivor of sexual assault.
Included in the film are youth testimonies of sexual assault survivors, perpetrators, and everyone in between. As she drives across the U.S. and engages with over 80 teens and young adults, Isabella hears verbally, and witnesses non-verbally, how sexual assault is a dee

Stark, a recovering addict, has stayed away from relationships to focus on sobriety, falls in love with Delilah, the addict who nearly killed him in a motorcycle wreck, the main cause of his addictions.

After an accident leaves Elsie May with a bad leg break and a long overdue Alzheimer's diagnosis, only child Ben returns home to rural lowa to pick up the pieces. Ditching his New York life for the cicada infested farmlands, he's left digging through the past in order to piece together the present.

Kelsey Anderson is a 26-year-old man who wakes up in the Somatic and Psychological Research of Men Medical Center, a hospital-like facility that specializes in the healing, resocialization, and treatment of black men suffering from toxic masculinity. He is forced to unpack his ideologies on the true meaning of manhood and later recognizes that because of social issues like patriarchy and misogyny, he hasn't been able to form his own identity.

In Julia’s memory of moving, the elements of places lost can feel like a stage. Julia fights against these missed connections, repercussions of relocation.

A collection of three vignettes set within a film soundstage reveal Julia's intimate struggles tied to moving. In Part One: her childhood's tender bond with a mysterious neighbor is tested against her parents’ move. Part Two: the quiet and bittersweet farewell with Julia’s first love. Part Three: culminates in Julia as an adult, toasting goodbye not just to spaces but to her inner self.

As San Francisco’s tech boom gentrifies their city, three young black trans women decide to take matters into their own hands, staging an audacious heist targeting the city’s most exclusive luxury brands.

Former car mechanic and handyman, Argentinian free diver Ricardo Montans struggles with mental health and depression while he prepares himself to attempt a record dive in Honduras that may bring economic relief to his family.

Staying after school takes a terrifying and soul-scarring turn as two best-friends unearth an ancient artifact that unleashes a deadly curse in their High-School grounds. Now running around like rodents, the two barricade themselves within their school while being hunted by ghastly creatures and plagued by morbid visions. The two must find a way to survive the night should they hope to live another day! Moreover, make it to their High-School graduation.

When missiles strike Ukraine, a dedicated doctor must choose between reuniting with her family or saving the war orphans under her care.

“Gravity” is a short film about a homeless father and daughter, Mike and May, who are living in a tent on the beach. Through the film, we start to see why this situation is tolerable for wide-eyed May: because of the fun and exciting world that her father has created for her there full of sweet treats and gnarly surfers. After Mike steals a surfboard to give to his daughter as a present, however, their relationship gets turned upside down and she begins to realize that maybe the beach is not as glamorous as her father makes it out to be.