MetroShorts 2

This is the ninth edition of our popular program of films from the vibrant, creative community of filmmakers in DC and the immediate Metro area.

Total running time: 89 minutes

Words of Power: Mastering the Art of Calligraphy

Zackary Tamimi
USA, 2025, 12 mins, Documentary
Follow master calligrapher Josh Berer through the creation of a piece of Arabic calligraphy as he discusses the trials he went through to perfect his craft and pursue his passion.

Sin Luces

Shahriar Shafiani
USA, 2025, 19 mins, Narrative, in English and Spanish with English subtitles
A bartender, grappling with personal loss and watching his old DC neighborhood gentrify, turns to liquid courage to face a world that feels increasingly distant.

Highly Visible

Jay Mallin
USA, 2025, 13 mins, Documentary, World Premiere
From sign-waving and chants to praying and meditation, local groups and neighbors organize regular visibility actions and remind us of the power of coming together in the fight against injustice.

The Magical World of Joan Danziger

Susan J. Goldman
USA, 2025, 23 mins, Documentary
Over the course of 60 years, renowned Washington DC painter, sculptor, and glass artist Joan Danziger has brought to life a phantasmagorical world populated with animals, nature, and myths. At 91, she shows no signs of slowing, greeting the wondrous creatures of her own creation as each new day dawns in her studio.

Work From Home

Justin Lamb
USA, 2025, 6 mins, Narrative, World Premiere
A spy's dangerous mission goes awry when Headquarters decides to downsize.

Hill Boy

Eilythia Penati
USA, 2025, 8 mins, Narrative
When a pessimistic recluse meets a carefree spirit at group therapy, he realizes that healing can come through embracing the unconventional 8212; and the ridiculous.

CHOCOLATE: A Motion Poetry Homage to Black D.C.

Eliamani Ismail
USA, 2025, 8 mins, Experimental, World Premiere
This exuberant cinematic love letter to Chocolate City captures the DC's vibrant spirit and the testimonies of its communities as gentrification reshapes its landscape.