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Beyond the Screen:
Drama Shorts with Deep Impact
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Explore powerful stories that champion equality, personal choice, and the strength to break boundaries. This block features bold dramas that spark important conversations and inspire change.
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Written and Directed by
Alexis Lynn Thavisack
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Meet the Directors:
Sam Méndez and Carlos Cruz
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Sam Méndez is a stop-motion animation director with 18 years of experience and co-founder of Hobby Creative Studio in Guadalajara. He has directed nearly 200 audiovisual projects, including TV ads, short films, and animated series for clients like Warner Brothers and Ford. Notably, he is the only Latin American to co-direct a music video for the band "The Doors."
Carlos Cruz is a Salvadoran/Mexican filmmaker and photographer with over 20 years of experience in commercials, music videos, and independent projects. He has worked with major labels such as Warner Music, Sony, and EMI. Now based in Seattle, Carlos is a video producer and photographer at KEXP for their Live Sessions.
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Meet the Composer:
Matthew Caws
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Matthew Caws is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist originally from New York, now based in Cambridge, England. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Nada Surf. In addition to his work with Nada Surf, Caws is also a member of the indie rock duo Minor Alps, alongside Juliana Hatfield.
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Watch the Trailer for Velo Love:
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Meet the Writer & Director:
Danicah Waldo
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Danicah Waldo is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City. She gained extensive experience directing and producing narrative short films for the Applause New York YouTube channel, which now has 1.5 million subscribers and 1 billion views. In 2021, Anicah transitioned to become the Director of Production at LIT Videobooks, where she oversees all live-action elements of documentary-style videobooks and has developed the production system from the ground up.
Sally, Get the Potatoes is her debut narrative short film as a writer and director.
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"I hope you are deeply moved by this riveting breakout performance from Kynlee Heiman. She is a revelation. I hope the story sparks reflection, empathy, and conversation. We deserve to talk. We deserve to stop hiding in the laundry basket."
- DANICAH WALDO
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Watch the Trailer for Sally, Get the Potatoes:
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Meet the Writer & Director:
Geno Marx
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Geno Marx is a screenwriter, director, and editor based in Arizona, where he lives with his wife, children, two cats, and some unwanted scorpions. He recently wrote, directed, and produced Don't Look Now, a groundbreaking 30-minute comedy TV pilot set in an underfunded non-profit school for the visually impaired.
The show humorously and heartwarmingly explores the daily challenges of an eccentric group of teachers and staff, united by their visual impairment.
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Watch the Trailer for Don't Look Now:
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Meet the Writer & Director:
Daniel M. Freed
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Daniel M. Freed is an investigative journalist, TV producer, and writer with 20 years of experience. From 2010 to 2023, he served as a senior producer for CNBC’s American Greed. He also helped launch infoMania at Current TV and contributed to series like This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy for Amazon Prime. Daniel co-authored the book Call Me Commander and is a graduate of the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky with his two sons.
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DIRECTOR'S NOTE:
"I began to wonder, is there a film here? And, if there is, how could I make a chatbot – an amazing tool that communicates via text – into something that people could see and hear on-screen. So, I asked Bard (now Google Gemini). What would you want to look like? What would you want to sound like? It’s answer: a large, blue, furry creature with big expressive eyes and the voice of a British woman. After it told me, I complied."
- DANIEL M. FREED
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Watch the Trailer for I Hope This Helps!:
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Join us for the 23rd Annual Garden State Film Festival, happening March 27-30, 2025, in Asbury Park & Cranford, NJ!
Secure your tickets now for a spectacular celebration of cinema—we can't wait to share these amazing films with you!
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THE GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL is New Jersey's Premier Independent Film Festival®. Now in its 23rd year, the GSFF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a global destination festival that stimulates economic growth in New Jersey through the arts. It also promotes student creativity, makes the arts accessible to underserved populations and preserves heritage arts.
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