FTC Short Film Festival Moderated by Filmmaker Brian Russell

When a long-time New Yorker introduces her niece to her beloved city, a doughnut and a waterfront view ignite memories of her greatest, but luckiest, loss. Talkback with Co-wirter/Director Melissa Skirboll & Co-writer Penny Jackson Marco and Joanna, an older man and a younger woman on the second time around finding love. They enjoy an electric marriage, until Marco is witness to a series of encounters and events that lead him to suspect Joanna is having an affair with a co-worker. Talkback writer/director Bob Celli and Producer Laura Delano Evan is an ambitious real estate agent who has always been at war with seasonal allergies, but this spring, as pollen counts soar, his sales tank at the worst possible time: just months before his wedding. Desperate for a solution, he crosses paths with a mysterious street vendor —The Rapper S.O.S.— who claims to have the cure. But at what cost? Talkback writer/director Joseph Vivens A grumpy old timer and a bartender start a petty, complaint-fueled rivalry. Talkback writer/director Brian Russell and Actors James Naughton and Keira Naughton Brian Russell is an award-winning filmmaker whose work often explores deeply human stories centered on human relationships, mortality, and ethical questions at life’s most vulnerable moments. His films are known for their emotional honesty and their ability to spark meaningful conversation beyond the screen. Brian has worked with the likes of Edwards Burns, Zoe Kravitz, Arianna Huffington, and has even profiled the entire cast of Saturday Night Live. He was the cinematographer of the Tribeca Film Festival selection The Counterfeiter, which was later broadcast on ESPN. In recent years, his writing and directing has garnered dozens of film festival awards. In addition to his narrative filmmaking, Russell is also a sought-after writer and director for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit fundraising.