MONIFF 2026 Film Festival

Spotlight on Narrative Shorts

Available in 03d 10h 27m 19s
Available October 6, 2026 12:00 PM UTC
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9 films in package
The Graveyard Shift
In this short horror film set at a Michigan radio station in 2004, Avery, a young slacker DJ is tormented by a washed-up former rock star with a bone to pick.
The Door
In a town where forgetting is easier than remembering, one student sees the pattern no one else will acknowledge. Behind the blue door, he finds answers. But some doors, once opened, don't let you walk away unchanged.
The Role
A college actor's big opportunity becomes a turning point as he struggles to balance his audition and his relationship.
Hit and Run
After losing their duffel bag of guns, two hitmen must scramble to find the weapons as well as the man they're trying to kill.
The Arrival at the River of a Handsome Canoeist
In a fictional Eastern European country, the residents of an unconnected village discover a foreigner sailing the rivers of their region. They set out to find him and discover he's a handsome canoeist. Curiosity spurs them on, but picnics on the grass change everyone's plans.
Lottery Ticket
Two childhood friends play the lottery the night before one leaves for college, each quietly dreaming of what a winning ticket might change.
High Stakes
A high school outcast decides to sell weed to increase his social status, without considering the consequences of his new gig.
Moon River
Margot, a high school senior, is hired to help her elderly neighbor, Celeste, over the span of a week. Even though Margot expects her week to be easy, Celeste is everything but.
Jam Boy
In a near-present dystopia where immigration is governed by opaque algorithms, a model minority coder who has built his life around the American dream faces psychological collapse, unless he risks everything to reclaim his identity through his mother’s recipes.
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Sriram is the ultimate role model. Polite. Productive. Easy to love. As an immigrant programmer in a near-future America, he has spent years believing that if he works hard enough, he'll earn the freedom to return home. When Sriram's long-awaited trip to India is pushed out by years, he clings to the one thing the system cannot regulate: his mother's tamarind rice.


What begins as an act of comfort becomes an act of rebellion. As memories of home resurface, Sriram uncovers a system built on erasing identity, forcing him to choose between the future he has spent years earning and the self he has spent years forgetting.

  • Year
    2026
  • Runtime
    23 minutes
  • Language
    English, Telugu
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    World - DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
  • Subtitle Language
    English
  • Social Media
  • Director
    Sriram Emani
  • Screenwriter
    Sriram Emani
  • Producer
    Sriram Emani, Liz Eng
  • Cinematographer
    Giovanni Alfonzetti
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