Texas Premiere!Against the backdrop of the sixth mass extinction, an all-woman team of biologists set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease, but when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease.  Kristin Tièche is an award-winning filmmaker, producer and editor based in San Francisco, CA, with a passion for crafting immersive, character-driven stories that shine a light on sustainability, conservation, and science. With hundreds of hours of film and television credits to her name, she specializes in documentary storytelling that captivates, informs, and inspires action. Kristin’s distinct storytelling voice is evident in her acclaimed short films, including Forms of Identification (2011), The Spinster (2013), The Bat Rescuer (2016), and Velo Visionaries (2015-2017). Her first feature documentary, The Invisible Mammal, following a team of women scientists working to prevent the extinction of a species of bat, premiered in 2025 at DocLands Film Festival in Marin County and took home the Audience Choice award. Kristin holds an M.A in Television-Radio-Film from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. When she's not behind the camera or in the editing suite, she shares her expertise as a film instructor at Diablo Valley College and SF Film School, mentoring the next generation of visual storytellers. Kristin’s feature documentary editing credits include; Sundance Audience Award winning "Fuel" (2008), PBS/Independent Lens film, "Power Paths" (2009), "Healing a Soldier's Heart (2015), "We Rock Long Distance" (2015), "From India With Love" (2017), "Somebody Clap For Me" (2017), "UberLand" (2019), and "Onanya" (2023). She has edited non-fiction series for national broadcast such as "Building Impossible" (Nat Geo), "Someone They Knew with Tamron Hall" (Court TV), "Judgment with Ashleigh Banfield" (Court TV), "Aerial America" (Smithsonian), "Animals Gone Wild" (Nat Geo), "Design on a Dime" (HGTV), and "$40 A Day" (Food Network). Kristin also received regional Emmy nominations for episodes she edited for "Eye on the Bay" (KPIX/CBS-5).
Director Statement
As a woman filmmaker, I was immediately drawn to this fascinating story of a team of pioneering women in science working to find a nature-based solution to save a bat species from extinction. As soon as we scheduled our first day of filming with our lead participants, I knew that there was a lot more to the story than just bats. It was crystal clear that it was a film about the way that women work together, mentor each other, share in successes, strive for professional goals, see themselves as professionals, find inspiration and help each other overcome failures. It’s also about women finding their place in the field of science and making contributions heralded by the global scientific community. This particular theme of “The Invisible Mammal” is what helped me develop my unique lens to this nature/conservation film. The world of the characters in this film – one in which women are not only leading the way, but helping other women climb the ladder in a male-dominated profession – is not always represented in film and storytelling. Being a woman filmmaker gave me an opportunity to deeply connect with the women featured in my film, earn their trust, and more holistically portray them on-screen as real, relatable human beings.
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Special Texas Presentation in Partnership with San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition With Director Mye HoangMulti-national rescuers in Qatar team up with a cat cafe owner from America to rescue 25 cats amidst a population crisis. Every country in the world grapples with animal welfare, and the feral cat overpopulation crisis is especially grim. Given the universal lack of government resources, the burden falls upon volunteer rescuers to deal with the uphill battle of caring for the ever growing population of cats. The crisis has reached a breaking point in Doha, capital city of Qatar. The oil-producing nation is one of the world’s wealthiest. However, the luxurious surface and rapid growth are powered by migrant workers who comprise 89% of the population, and end up volunteering their resources to help alleviate the suffering among the nation’s many street cats who struggle to survive the extreme heat, diseases and traffic.  Director and editor Mye Hoang is an #AniFab21 alum and Los Angeles based producer/director and Texas native. Her previous documentary CAT DADDIES won numerous awards such as the Tallgrass Film Festival’s Excellence in the Art of Film, Animalis Fabula Film Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Documentary, and the Dallas International Film Festival’s Audience Award (2021). It has been distributed in over a dozen territories around the world. Most recently, she was a producer on the documentary ASHIMA which world premiered at DOC NYC 2023. Previously she was a producer on the narrative feature I WILL MAKE YOU MINE by Lynn Chen (SXSW 2020), as well as award-winning noir thriller MAN FROM RENO (Best Feature at the LA Film Festival and Spirit Award Nominee 2014). She has directed numerous narrative short films that have been showcased internationally. Her first narrative feature VIETTE, an Asian American coming-of-age story, debuted in 2012 and toured film festivals around the country.
Director Statement When I was touring with my previous documentary CAT DADDIES (2022), I met a cat cafe owner in Milwaukee and learned about her international rescue work. As a lifelong cat owner, I was aware of the efforts to help pets from abroad find homes in the US – some came from conflict areas or natural disasters. But moving cats 7,000 miles from countries like Qatar seemed extreme. This curiosity set me on my new film 25 CATS FROM QATAR, to discover the country and its culture, and why animal rescuers there have reached a breaking point. They are literally unable to solicit support from within and feel they have no choice but to turn outside, to the UK and US. To immerse the audience, I focused on all the nuts and bolts of this unsanctioned rescue mission that rapidly unfolded in 4 days. I knew that witnessing the tedious preparation and the selection process of 25 cats in all its totality would be ultimately moving. Being able to document this grand act of love for cats has been a truly rewarding experience that I hope will inspire audiences worldwide. Partnered with San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition Texas Premiere! Every summer, off the coast of Corsica, an extraordinary and discreet spectacle takes place: the gathering of a mysterious species called the "Sea Devil." Threatened with extinction, this gentle Mediterranean giant, as majestic as it is little-known, needs immediate protection. This is the goal set for Atlantine, Matthieu, and William, three passionate marine biologists. To achieve this, they organize a scientific expedition to gather evidence of the existence of an exceptional aggregation of sea devils. Their adventure is punctuated by freediving explorations, storms, and encounters with Mediterranean wildlife. Along the way, they encounter whales, sharks, and dolphins by the hundreds, but only find a few isolated sea devils. The days pass, and doubt sets in. Could the existence of this school of devils be nothing more than a legend? Directors - Pierre Léo Paul, Pierre-Etienne Larrous
Student - Texas Premiere! In a journey home from the market, a young boy Sasha is being stalked and chased by the ruthless monster dog of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan during a cold, foggy, winter night. Director Viktor Niksdorf writes: Some of my earliest memories of creating art was making comics based on cartoons and shows I liked as a kid. I remember reading Russian-translated Spider-Man comics and falling in love with the character that seemed so far away from me, but one I could still relate to. I would often create whole books with characters I enjoyed, often just including images without writing any dialogue or descriptions. In Kyrgyzstan, we often had carpets on walls to preserve heat in our apartment, so whenever I would finish a piece of art, my mother would hang it up on the carpet for everyone to see. Our whole living room was covered with drawings and it made me feel very accomplished and artistically fulfilled.
Director Statement
The knowledge I gained at Ringling, such as learning how to animate, texture, rig, light and render, came together in my final senior thesis short film - Dogs Of Bishkek. Ringling professors supported me when I wanted to tell a personal story that is rooted in my life growing up in Kyrgyzstan, and using everything I knew, I got to create an animated short that I am truly proud of, all by myself. The film is based on my fear of stray dogs when I was younger living in Bishkek. I remember when I, along with other kids in my neighborhood, had to run away and climb on playground pyramids in order to wait for the dogs to leave. I even once got bit by a stray dog, but my jeans were thick enough that the dog did not fully bite through them. After immigrating to The United States, the fear eventually went away, but I still find myself jump whenever there is a random loud bark. Looking into the future, I would love to become an animator at any studio that shares my artistic values, but my ultimate goal is to become a Film Director, and I hope to one day accomplish that goal. Student - Texas Premiere!In Unstable: A PonyTale, a girl named Sydney is looking at ponies for sale. Instead of the fancy show ponies, she enthusiastically picks a crazed pony with a mean streak. The insane pony tries everything to shake her determination; however, through the bucking, biting, and crashing, the little girl’s smile never wanes. When the pony finally pushes her over the edge, they are surprised to make an unlikely team.  Director Lauren Hale grew up in rural Maryland, where she spent the majority of my time with a pencil in her hand or out in the fields with the horses. On her artist journey she was able to combine these two to inspire her senior thesis film. Lauren writes: "The question of if I would become an artist had never crossed my mind, more so what kind of art I wanted to pursue. When the time came to enter higher education, I was amazed with every animated release. I felt the era of 3D style was being pushed to break new ground in terms of storytelling, and visual identity. I had made my decision to explore computer animation, and there was one name that stood out: Ringling College of Art and Design."
Texas Premiere! This is a work for nostalgia, and environmental protection. The fiddler crab A-hang started an adventure to get rid of his natural enemies. After he met a hermit crab A-Sing on the way, they encountered difficulties and then became good friends. Metaphorically it’s a story of how a young person returned homeland after working and leaving away from home for years. In this film, several elements are rendered from the reality, such as the hermit crab taking a plastic cap for his shelter, the habitat of the fiddler crab surrounded by an industrial area, and how invasive alien plants affected the eco-system; that is, how creatures survive from the climate change can be a similar case to human beings. In terms of these personalized characters in a reflective story, this film would like to awaken the audience to love and care more for the land and the environments. Director CHUN-SHUO HUANG is the founder of Time Door Studio, is a director and art director, devoted to animation production and film taking for years. His works include animation, music video, VFX, micro movies, commercials, event planning, and interactive art.
Texas Premiere - Partnered With K9 Service With A Twist!Hustle and Run is a joyful, exhilarating underdog story from an unexpected corner of British sport. The film follows maverick captain Jeannette and her team, the Aces - a ragtag band of women from the Medway towns in Kent - competing in the fast and furriest world of Flyball... Also known as “the F1 of dog sports”… and “a posh game of fetch.” In a sport dominated for decades by border collies and conventional thinking, this unfancied, backwater team gambles on Hustle - a tiny, mercurial whippet considered too untrainable for the sport. From that moment everything changes. What unfolds is an intimate, uplifting story of community, belief and overlooked talent, as they chase their dream all the way to Flyball’s greatest stage: Crufts.  Directors Jonny Madderson and Jono Stevens are internationally award-winning filmmakers and co-founders of JustSo, a certified B Corp. Through their company they make documentaries and series for global organizations including Channel 4, Red Bull, Netflix, Disney, LEGO, and the Olympics. Pioneers in digital storytelling, their breakout project was the Black Cab Sessions, the hit YouTube music series that redefined intimate live performance for the online era. They champion upbeat, human storytelling with a soft spot for tales of underdogs and overlooked potential. They both brought dogs into their lives around the same time - Jonny a whippet, Jono a whippet-cross - and that shared, heart-melting (and slightly bonkers) love sparked the idea for Hustle and Run.
Partnered with K9 SWAT Texas Premiere! A young dissociated mother dealing with loss, grief, and a large furry dog. World premiere set for the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts. 2025. Kerry Frances is an actress best known from KNIVES OUT, currently on Poker Face, and in the highly anticipated upcoming WAKE UP DEAD MAN. She is mentored on and off set by Oscar nominated writer and director Rian Johnson, and represented by Zero Gravity Management. MAMA MAMA is her first film, which she wrote, directed, starred in, and produced. Director Statement MAMA MAMA came to me after two life changing experiences within two weeks: filming my first TV show with many women in leadership roles, who took time to pour into me, and losing my dog and best friend, Henry Bear. I found myself wondering what if it had been a human son I'd lost, while contemplating women's roles and identities in the industry and society, and suddenly realizing I could do anything I wanted. MAMA MAMA has changed my entire life, and flung open doors within the industry, powerfully affecting producers, showrunners, actors, directors, and more, who resonate with the story. I can't wait to keep making films, TV, and theatre. Thanks for taking the time to watch and consider my short.
Texas Premiere!Penguins of the Point is a short wildlife documentary that explores the daily lives of penguins at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands, showcasing the resilience of these remarkable birds as they face both predators and modern threats such as climate change, commercial fishing, and avian influenza. Watch gentoo and king penguins navigate the shoreline where predators await, witness the spectacle of king penguins undergoing their annual molt, follow magellanic penguins as they return to breed along the shore, and observe tender scenes of chicks huddling together in crèches for warmth and protection before being fed by parents returning from the sea. Along the way, the film sheds light on the growing threat of avian influenza and the wider impacts of climate change and overfishing on penguin populations and their fragile ecosystem.  Derek Robitaille is an emerging cinematographer based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with a passion for nature and travel. After four years working aboard cruise ships and the rare privilege of visiting all seven continents, he honed his craft through extensive travels, drawing inspiration from landscapes, cultures, and wildlife. Though new to filmmaking, Derek has gained experience in documentary and corporate storytelling, particularly within Indigenous communities across Canada, and most recently received an award for his debut production, Penguins of the Point, at the 2025 Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.
Director Statement
My goal with Penguins of the Point was to offer an intimate, humorous, and educational glimpse into the daily lives of the penguins at Volunteer Point. From natural predation, life cycles, and modern threats like climate change, commercial fishing, and avian flu, I aimed to create a narrative that resonates emotionally and educates viewers of all ages. The future of these remarkable birds is uncertain, and this film seeks to deepen understanding while inspiring urgency around their conservation. Texas Premiere! Horse trainer Neil Hormann is inventing bone conduction sound therapy earphones for horses. If successful, the earphones could change the equine sport industry, moving away from the abrasive and jarring whip to a holistic nonviolent approach. Olivia Barnett-Brown is a Scottish documentary filmmaker based in Edinburgh and a recent graduate of Edinburgh College of Art (MA in documentary and directing). Olivia began her filmmaking journey at Newcastle University in 2019 and in 2022 won the RTS North East Regional Award for best student short factual film, for her solo observational documentary To Challah On The Table. Olivia specialises in directing, cinematography and editing and aspires to make more documentaries that explore deep human connections and unique situations.
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