TITE Film Festival: Belonging ShortsCLUB 18+114 min
Synopsis
From secret dystopian training grounds to masked beings in time-bending limbo, these films complicate what it means to be of a place and of a people. To find peace, to be trusted, to have a space to call your own – to claim and to fight for it.
b.longing (2025, Canada, 7’)
Dir. mystery byrd
Where do we belong; what do we be longing for? A dialogue and home video about belonging, from young people living in modern colonial society.
placeholder (2025, Ireland, 7’)
Dir. / Writ. Elisa Beli Borrelli
A young trans masc from a distant country finds a new home in Ireland, but the nation’s own problems quickly start to take a toll on him.
At Home (2025, USA, 12’)
Dir. / Writ. Aubrey Pandori
A 29-year-old trans musician and a 79-year-old lesbian archivist share stories of self-discovery, chosen family, and community building in the San Francisco Bay Area.
ANDRO (2025, Germany, Georgia, 27’)
Dir. / Writ. Dominik Gasser
Andro Dadiani’s political performances dissect state and church oppression in Georgia and conquer Tbilisi's urban spaces, but as a queer, non-binary protest artist, their identity remains a secret.
DRAGGED TO NOWHERE (2025, USA, 13’)
Dir. / Writ. Jordan Martin
Late Bloomer, a Native drag queen, falls into an unexpected nightmare. Caught in a cycle of dislocation and danger, Late Bloomer must find their way home through a world of shifting realities and sinister forces.
THE MARTIAL FOREST (2025, Taiwan, Colombia, 9’)
Dir. / Writ. J Triangular
In a dystopian present, exiled Kung Fu master Big Sister 13 leads a crew of trans and queer fighters to create the Martial Forest—a secret training ground where care is as powerful as combat.
The Guard (2025, UK, 11’)
Dir. / Writ. Patricia McCormick
Tasked with guarding his girlfriend’s family home during a wedding, a young man must protect the Indian wedding gifts of gold – though never predicted who he’d be guarding against.
Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania (2024, USA, 12’)
Dir. Hansen Bursic
In the early 2010s, hundreds of transgender women flocked to the small town of New Hope each year for a legendary weekend-long party – one that changed their lives, and the town, forever.
Total runtime: 99’