Part of The Gotham Week 2026

The Gotham is proud to present the winning films from the 2024-25 Focus Features Short Film Showcase!

Overview

Each year, the Focus Features Short Film Showcase selects the top short films by MFA filmmakers from across the country, with winners announced at the Gotham Film Awards. The four selected filmmakers — chosen from submissions representing more than 20 U.S. graduate programs by a jury of filmmakers and curators — receive a grant and a rare commercial entry point into the industry, including distribution on Focus Features' digital streaming platform.

Learn more about The Gotham EDU's Focus Features Short Film Showcase.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the attending filmmakers.

RSVP for Block 1 | 2025-26 Focus Features Short FIlm Showcase

Panelists

Nicole Chi Amen

"Los Mosquitos" - University of Texas at Austin

Aby, a 15-year-old Honduran teen, and her younger cousin Nata, who has just arrived in the US, must forge new bonds and together redefine their very concept of family.

Reem Jubran

"Don’t Be Long, Little Bird" - University of California, Los Angeles

An angsty young Rima is unwillingly whisked in time from California to 1930s Ancestral Palestine, where she is found by her great-grandmother. On her quest to find her way back to the present, she learns a valuable lesson on the way.

Sujin Jung

"Cocoon" - Loyola Marymount University

Hyun-sook attempts to get her daughter, who suffers from an anxiety speech disorder, to perform the Lunar New Year traditional greeting for the conservative grandmother. When her daughter fails to speak, Hyun-sook must make a choice. Punish her daughter or rebel against generational pressures.