2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama
A raw exploration of neurodiversity, family dysfunction, and the Hollywood gaze on disability.
Screening date & tickets — to be announced
- Director(s): Peter Kangas
- Writer(s): Peter Kangas, Josiah Polhemus
- Producer(s): Peter Kangas, Josiah Polhemus, Taylor Rust, Elissa Down
- Key Cast: Brendan Looney, Leo Burnett, Josiah Polhemus
- Editor(s): Matthew R. Smith
- Cinematographer(s): Frank Paul Perez
- Sound Designer(s): Owen Peterson
- Composer(s): Katherine Beggs
Language: English
Runtime: 15m
Country: United States
Los Angeles Premiere
Synopsis: Paul, a young autistic man, struggles to process his father’s terminal cancer diagnosis while haunted by Ever Green—a character from a Hollywood autism film he despises. Through therapy sessions and painful memories, Paul confronts his grief, his strained relationship with his father, and society’s stereotypical portrayals of autism. A raw exploration of neurodiversity, family dysfunction, and the Hollywood gaze on disability.
Click here to watch the trailer →