These documentary shorts spark dialogue between generations, capturing the wisdom, friction, and humor that arise when age and experience meet youth and new perspectives. From intimate family portraits to broader cultural exchanges, the films reveal how storytelling across time connects us, challenges us, and keeps traditions alive while making space for change.

Piñata Prayers explores both piñatas and Christian faith as a colonial inheritance through the director's memory. He reckons with his loss of faith through archival materials, a conversation with his mother, and the assistance of a third-generation piñata-maker and her creations.

Piñata Prayers

Breaking down the colonial tradition of piñatas, this personal film probes into a loss of faith while retracing a family history.

The filmmaker’s father recounts the ten days he spent hiding as a young boy during a war in his village in West Africa. Together, father and daughter set out to continue the book he never finished about his memory of the events quietly buried by the Ivorian government. With the help of the children living in his village today, the three generations create a mythical tapestry of entwining timelines, nightmares, and memories.

Entre le Feu et le Clair de Lune (Between the Fire and the Moonlight)

The filmmaker’s father recounts the ten days he spent hiding as a young boy during a war in his village in West Africa. Together, father and daughter set out to continue the book he never finished about his memory of the events quietly buried by the Ivorian government.

"Sudakas" is shown through recorded phone calls with Maria and Ricardo (the filmmaker), revealing the everyday struggles and small triumphs of being a college-educated immigrant in the U.S. Maria, once a Venezuelan diplomat in New Orleans, is now working a low-wage job in the same city she built a life in and shares with her son, director Ricardo.

Sudakas

"Sudakas" is shown through recorded phone calls with Maria and Ricardo (the filmmaker), revealing the everyday struggles and small triumphs of being a college-educated immigrant in the U.S.

At 94 years old, Margarita Elms has a pretty solid routine and a lifetime of memories. Is there space for a total solar eclipse?

My Tía during an Eclipse

At 94 years old, Margarita Elms has a pretty solid routine and a lifetime of memories. Is there space for a total solar eclipse?

United States of America

Doc Shorts: Kinfolk

Virtual Admission

We are so thankful for your gift and to consider you a part of the NOFS Family!&nbsp;Your generosity helps us continue our work for championing Southern storytelling and allowing us to bring our stories to the big screen for 40,000 moviegoers annually. You help us to nurture the careers of diverse Southern filmmakers, present the Oscar-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival, the annual French Film Festival, and produce film series and special events throughout the year. We are deeply grateful for your contribution. For tax purposes, this letter will serve as official acknowledgment of your tax-deductible contribution to the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS). NOFS Tax ID # / EIN: 72-1136068 For more information about your&nbsp;donation&nbsp;or about NOFS, please contact us at (504) 309-6633 or&nbsp;sarah<a href="mailto:megan@neworleansfilmsociety.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">@neworleansfilmsociety.org</a>. If you are not a member of NOFS yet, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://neworleansfilmsociety.org/become-a-member/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">here</a>&nbsp;to join today. Best regards,Sarah Escalante, Executive Director New Orleans Film Society1215 Prytania St. Suite 371New Orleans, LA 70130(504) 309-6633 Orleans Film Festival

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Welcome to the New Orleans Film Festival Virtual Cinema! NOFF is a renowned celebration of independent filmmaking that has been championing groundbreaking storytelling for over 36 years. We are an Academy Award®-qualifying festival in the Doc Short, Narrative Short, and Animated Shorts categories. 

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