From zoot suits in 1940’s El Paso to the fight against gun violence in modern San Antonio to a dystopian tomorrow where bodies are for lease, the past, present and future of Texas is captured in the newest group of short films to receive support from the Austin Film Society through its AFS Grants for Short Films program, announced last week.
Established as part of the Texas Filmmaker Production Fund in 1996, AFS shorts grants have been an important source of support for hundreds of filmmakers over the years, including recognizable and rising names such as the Zellner Bros (Sasquatch Sunset), Katherine Propper (Lost Soulz), and Kat Candler (Queen Sugar). Now AFS is boosting the next generation of Texas filmmakers, with a total of 14 short films in every stage of production receiving financial and in-kind support.
The projects were selected from a total of 225 submissions by a panel of three filmmakers, including director Angel Kristi Williams (Really Love), producer Neil Creque Williams (Miss Juneteenth), and Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (the upcoming The First Plantation).
All three panelists are from outside Austin, so there was no local bias in the project selection. However, Austin reinforced its position as the launching pad for new talents, with 10 of the 14 selected projects from Austin filmmakers. Most were first-timers, but there are some familiar names, such as Ryan Darbonne, who got the good news about support for his new short, “We Skip School,” ahead of his latest work, “Shut The Fuck Up When We Speak,” receiving its Texas premiere at the upcoming South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. Meanwhile Chinwe Okorie, who previously received support in 2023 for “Cycles,” gets AFS backing for her work currently in production, “Help is on the Way.”
Narrative shorts dominate the lineup, with only three documentaries listed among the 14 recipients. However, the recipients show that Austin remains a hub for true-life tales, with grants going to Channing Smith for ballroom documentary “I Mean, I Am Somebody,” While Sarah Michelle Kuck looks at the role of older women in households and communities in “Grandma’s House.” Rounding out the trio is Lauren Santucci, whose untitled short doc examines San Antonio’s 2024 weapons exchange program and contrasts it with Australia’s culture-changing 1996 weapons buyback in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre.
Of course, short films are often a stepping stone for filmmakers early in their career before they move into the feature realm, and the AFS grants program is there for them in that leap, too. Applications for the AFS Grant for Feature Films program, for films 40 minutes or longer, will open in April.
Narrative Shorts
In Pre-Production
“Pressure Points”
D: Janelle Lee Austin (Austin, TX)
Lifelong friends Cora and Maya’s marriages face a “drought” until they both secretly turn to Duong, an elderly Asian man with a knack for pressure-point orgasms, reigniting sparks in their marriages. When Duong dies, they must unite to keep the spark alive.
“An Adequate Place to Die”
D: Yeajoon “Joon” Cho (Austin, TX)
In middle-of-nowhere Texas, a vagrant searches for an adequate place to die.
“Body Shop”
Maria Eugenia Mealla (Austin, TX)
In an alternate reality where body shops replace hospitals, a young mechanic discovers a wealthy client pressuring her boss to loan her a Latina body for a night out. Appalled by the request and determined to stop it, she takes measures into her own hands.
“Si Dios quiere” (God Willing)
D: Costantino Ciminiello (Austin, TX)
An elderly woman receives a frantic call claiming her granddaughter has been kidnapped and a ransom must be paid … but as she races to gather the money, her slipping memory blurs the line between crisis and delusion.
In Production
“The Rabbit Story and Tomato”
D: Elham Doust (Dallas, TX)
After finishing daily chores, a woman sits alone in front of the television and revisits a long-postponed story idea. She begins to ponder about the story concept but is distracted by tomorrow’s chores. Animated.
“Help Is on the Way”
Chinwe Okorie (Austin, TX)
After her car mysteriously breaks down on an isolated rural Texas road, a Black woman must decide if she can trust the help that comes her way.
“The Light She Keeps”
Zariyah Perry (Dallas, TX)
With a storm behind her eyes, a teenage girl confronts the unspoken tension between herself and the person sitting across the table … over waffles.
“Three Dollar Bet”
D: Brittney Rodriguez and Pablo Mejia (Beaumont, TX)
While waiting for the next bus out of town, a sharp-tongued drifter makes a bet that ends in humiliation by the local pageant queen. Reeling from rejection, she bonds with the runner-up, and their encounter reveals two girls searching for home — perhaps finding it in each other.
“SkinFolk”
D: Shianne Salazar (Austin, TX)
An injury ends Ayra’s tenure as cheer captain just ahead of the homecoming game. Plagued by envy, she enlists dark magic to abduct the body of her replacement — her best friend Starr, who is secretly in love with her.
In Post-Production
“Tito Ritmo”
D: Ulises Córdova (El Paso, TX)
In early 1941, a zoot suit toting mechanic enters a “dance till you drop” competition in order to win a new car. In 2009, the car is now in the family lineage, and his grandson attempts to sell the classic car out of financial desperation.
“We Skip School”
Ryan Darbonne (Austin, TX)
September 11, 2001. Grieving their best friend’s suicide, two Black teens ditch school to buy the new Slayer album, unaware of the world falling apart around them.
Documentary Shorts
In Production
“Grandma’s House”
Sarah Michelle Kuck (Austin, TX)
Grandma’s House is a documentary short that celebrates the voices of Central Texas matriarchs. They have experienced joy and hardship, and they carry wisdom that helps us understand who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going as a community.
“I Mean, I am Somebody.”
Channing Smith (Austin, TX)
Through rhythm, ritual, and realness, “I Mean, I am Somebody.” holds a mirror to the world of Ballroom — reflecting identity and refracting the quiet strength behind the spectacle, revealing the power of being seen on one’s own terms.
In Post-Production
Untitled Gun Buyback Documentary
Lauren Santucci (Austin, TX)
A short documentary exploring the tensions of implementing gun violence prevention in the US through the lens of a 2024 voluntary weapons exchange in San Antonio, Texas, and a 1996 gun buyback initiative in Australia.
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