The Executive Directors’ Film Festival Picks program

Are you ready to see some of the best short films from Iowa's film festivals? 

Our state film office asked the executive directors of Iowa‘s film festivals to submit the best short film featured at their festival over the past year. From the nominations, we then curated the top films we think you should see and might have missed. 

We would like to acknowledge and thank the many community volunteers who use film to create a more vibrant culture in our state and bring new visitors to their Main Streets to engage the creative economy.  If you haven‘t attended one of these film festivals here in Iowa, we highly encourage you to do so. Find a screening near you below!

Featured Picks - 2020 Edition

Coffee Shop Names

Nominated by Snake Alley Festival of Film
Three Indian friends ponder the names they use at coffee shops instead of their real names.

Filmmaker bio: Deepak Sethi has over a decade of experience writing for primetime television, including as a staff writer on Family Guy, Brickleberry, and Close Enough (just released on HBO Max). He's also worked on Cuckoo, an NBC pilot, with director Peter Farrelly, and recently punched up the script for India Sweets and Spices, the next feature film from the Crazy Rich Asians producers, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. His short film, Coffee Shop Names, won the Soho House ScriptHouse Award, and is currently on the festival circuit, with festivals including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Aspen ShortsFest, Palm Springs ShortFest, Cleveland International Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival (Angie Thomas Zeitgeist Award winner), and the Sun Valley Film Festival (Soho House Award winner). Additionally, Deepak performs stand-up comedy and is a regular feature at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

Night of the Slasher

Nominated by Halloweenapalooza
A 'shot-in-one-take' slasher film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins in order to lure a masked killer and to take him out!

Filmmaker bio: Shant Hamassian grew up in the rolling hills of Calabasas, California and attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He’s most known for directing the SXSW horror short, “Night of the Slasher”, which played in over 200 film festivals including 6 OSCAR qualifying ones, and won over 60 awards. It was the first horror film to become a Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere and has accumulated over one million views across multiple platforms. He has made music videos and comedic sketches that have been showcased on popular sites such as Collegehumor. His screenplay NEVILLE made the Bloodlist and others have generated buzz in the industry.

Just A Guy

Nominated by Prairie Grass Film Challenge
Just a guy attempting to score a date with the girl next door takes an unexpected twist.

Filmmaker bio: Noah Deist, 20 years old, is a senior digital media major from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. Deist has written and directed several shorts and been involved in other roles in the filmmaking process. In addition to his film experience, Deist is an avid songwriter and music producer. Having experienced shooting two professional music videos as well as writing and producing numerous globally recognized songs. Deist’s post college plans include marrying his fiancée and moving to Lincoln, Nebraska where he hopes to continue his work in the industry.

Sanity

Nominated by Des Moines 48 Hour Film Project
Lionel Wolfe undergoes a psychiatric evaluation that seeks to get to the bottom of why he committed one of the most brutal crimes in his small town‘s history.

Filmmaker bio: Retro Neon Film is a film production collective made up of Iowa Filmmakers who have a passion for making movies and bringing stories to the screen.

Flora

Nominated by Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
A Victorian story about life, death and everything in between.

Filmmaker bio: Javier Kühn studied filmmaking at EICTV in La Havana with an emphasis in directing with Marketa Kimbrell, Head of the Department of Film and Performance Management at New York University. He has worked as a production assistant on films with Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, shooting in Rome, Budapest, London and Havana. He has coordinated over a hundred international Press junkets. In 2005 he created his own Production Film Company.

Host a Screening

Are you a film enthusiast, college professor, or filmmaker in Iowa? You can host a screening of this program and discover the unforgettable movies found at Iowa’s film festivals. The program costs nothing to screen and can be shown in classrooms, cinemas, or during a movie night at the local park. Some usage conditions apply, and the program will only be available through the end of 2021. Please contact EJ Philby at emily.philby@iowa.gov if you are interested in creating your own getaway to the big screen.

Attend an Upcoming Screening