presented by The Discover Indie Film Foundation
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Short Film – Horror
An inexperienced assassin is hired by the Grim Reaper to carry out his work. Throughout this alliance, the assassin’s moral decline and the consequences of his decisions are monitored.
Director(s): Arnold Sotomayor
Writer(s): Arnold Sotomayor
Producer(s): Domenica Granados, Carlos Licapa, Arnold Sotomayor
Key Cast: Carlos Licapa, Alessandra García
Country: Peru
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy
A dark and uncomfortable comedy in which a heart-warming dinner party reunion turns into a violent nightmare as the host and the guest revisit their traumatic shared history to extreme ends.
Director(s): Donald Saunderson Writer(s): Donald Saunderson
Producer(s): Donald Saunderson , Jen Saunderson, Karina Wolfe, Nick Richey, Zach Mann, Graham High, Brittany High
Key Cast: Juan Manuel Salcito, Dylan Saunders, Karina Wolfe, Susane Lee
Country: United States
South American Premiere
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Documentary – Feature Film
In Lisbon, where the Brazilian community exceeds half a million people, groups like Baque do Tejo, Baque Mulher, Palhinha Maluca, Pandeiro LX, and Lisbloco keep the Brazilian carnival tradition alive in foreign land. From intimate rehearsals to street celebrations, the documentary follows a community facing increasing bureaucratic barriers and institutional xenophobia to preserve one of Brazil’s most important cultural expressions. The film shows how drums, flutes, and tambourines become instruments of resistance and struggle for the right to occupy city streets. From the narrow lanes of Alfama to Chiado squares, “in my land, Carnival is religion” is a vibrant portrait of how the ancestral power of Brazilian carnival turns adversity into celebration.
Director(s): Rodrigo Resende Coutinho
Producer(s): Rodrigo Resende Coutinho
Country: Brazil
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Short Film – Documentary
Through intimate footage—from car seats to kitchens to weighing the prices of diapers and eggs—we glimpse the personal consequences of policy choices that have dismantled social infrastructure. While Andrea appears to be holding it all together—managing her business while caring for her daughter Eva Luna—that work also wears on Andrea, affecting her financial security and her emotional wellbeing. Inspired by the book “Holding it Together” by Jessica Calarco (who co-produced the short), this film is not just a portrait of individual resilience but a call to recognize how women’s labor maintains the illusion that America can function without robust social support systems. By sharing these stories, we hope to spark conversations about the institutional changes our society desperately needs.
Director(s): Si Boudoin
Writer(s): Si Boudoin
Producer(s): Cameron Kit
Key Cast: Andrea Pando
Country: United States
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Arthouse/Experimental – Featurette
FUTURE OF ART is important, not only because it acts as a critique of the art that laid the stepping stones moving forward, but it also incorporates a unique style and language that steps away from rhetorics of the past, creating a fresh approach. Art needs a new landscape in which to pioneer and Zox & Cru’s film opens unexplored horizons.
Director(s): Zox, Cru
Writer(s): Zox & Cru
Producer(s): Zox & Cru
Key Cast: Zox & Cru
Country: United States
South American Premiere
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Short Film – Drama
Max, a man fleeing the police who want to kill him for challenging their role in the disappearance of his friend during a government crackdown in Qazaqland, escapes to Canada. There, he reunites with Marat, a fellow immigrant who has been in Canada for years and offers him a place to stay. While Marat is accustomed to hard manual labor, Max struggles to adapt and, in his search for easy money, falls into a dangerous world of crime. When Max’s choices lead to violence, both men are forced to flee once again—this time, across borders. “Fleeing Shadows” is a gripping tale of survival, friendship, and the desperate pursuit of freedom.
Director(s): Erjan Leroy Nurhassen
Writer(s): Erjan Leroy Nurhassen
Producer(s): Berik Igenbayev
Key Cast: Erjan Leroy Nurhassen, Berik Igenbayev, Ernat Alimgazi
Country: Kazakhstan
South American Premiere
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Arthouse/Experimental – Short Film
Enduring excruciating pain, Clara scours the internet for a cure for her headache. She stumbles upon a new feature of the search engine: an artificial intelligence. She soon discovers that the quest for curing her headache will challenge her perception of reality.
Director(s): Hubert Eliot Salazar
Writer(s): Hubert Eliot Salazar
Producer(s): Hubert Eliot Salazar
Key Cast: Claudia Pascal
Country: Peru
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Short Film – Comedy
When needing to reveal her biggest secret to her normal fiancé, a witch turns to her fairy god mother for help only to be surprised by her fairy god bro.
Director(s): Stephanie Williams Writer(s): David Cameli, Bailey Castle, David Hartley
Producer(s): Stephanie Williams, David Cameli, Jules Quaas, Evan Morton
Key Cast: David Cameli, Bailey Castle, David Hartley, Michelle Persoff
Country: United States
South American Premiere
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Documentary – Featurette
The documentary film, “Every Line Becomes A Circle” celebrates the extraordinary life of 93- year-old post-war German artist, Inge Besgen who began to pursue her dream of becoming an artist at age 50 against the conventions of her time.
Director(s): Lynnette Luis, Christopher Leete, Ottilie Maters Writer(s): Lynnette Luis, Claudia Niemann, Inge Besgen Producer(s): Lynnette Luis, Claudia Niemann,
Key Cast: Inge Besgen, Tino Besgen
Country: Germany
2026 FI-Lima Official Selection: Drama – Short Film
Madrid 1635. Queen Isabel of Borbón invites the writer Calderón de la Barca to her chambers to give him a very dangerous assignment. A secret relationship, an intellectual and liberal woman for her time, a writer who tries to climb socially, a queen who seeks to leave her inheritance in time and the sexual tension between the two.
Director(s): MANUEL CASTILLO
Producer(s): MANUEL CASTILLO
Key Cast: Raúl Prieto, María Olga Matte
Country: Chile, Spain
