FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 - OPENING NIGHT PREMIERES
Hollywood Starlet
Overlooked cleaner Starlet supports her abusive sister and mother until her acting talents are finally recognized by famous actor Jack as he falls for her and helps her kickstart her Hollywood career. The series is filmed on the sets of The Bold & The Beautiful and the backlot of Sunset Studios. Hollywood Starlet is created by Bradley Bell, creative chief of The Bold and The Beautiful. Starring Bella Mraz, Eric Guilmette and Molly Anderson. Written and directed by Kristen Brandaccio.
Layover (World Premiere)
In Sin City, a love story of a different kind, of crossed wires, intrigue and danger, between a nervous risk manager and an unseen flight attendant. Starring: Nicole Mattox, Seth Edeen, Haley Lohrli, Molly Anderson, Sam Myerson. Directed by Salvador Paskowitz.
Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale (World Premiere)
At an elite European university, two brilliant young minds unknowingly study the same subject: human behavior. One will become the world's greatest detective. The other - its most dangerous criminal. When an impossible diamond heist stuns Turin and a seductive campus underworld collides with both their worlds, their first meeting ends the only way it could — Moriarty walks free, Holmes is left with nothing but a theory, and the greatest rivalry in history has just begun. Starring Ethan Vaughan, Ford Leland, Ciaran Cresswell, Rita Pilato. Directed by Alessio Liguori.
Pride And Prejudice (World Premiere)
When her husband needs a life-saving surgery the family can't afford, Mrs. Bennet sets out to marry off one of her daughters—just as two wealthy bachelors arrive in town. Sparks fly between Jane and Bingley. Lizzie and Darcy simply collide. Starring Sophie Swiszcz, Kelton White, Alexandra Swanbeck, Andi Rexha, Kim Sandwich. Directed by Jerry Bradford.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 - PREMIERES
Ashton Heights
Everyone in Ashton Heights is hiding from something. But when one resident’s past walks through the gate, secrets resurface and trust becomes deadly. Starring Candace Mizga, Felix Merback, and Joshua David Smith. Directed by Amber Neukum.
Coworking (World Premiere)
When a gritty Cincinnati startup nears a life-changing investment, a flashy New York rival arrives to pitch the same investor, turning a coworking space full of founders, dreamers and big personalities into a workplace battleground. Starring David Wysong, Freddy Mac, Nyla Niccole, Jackson McKeever, Sharrieff "TQ" Beamon, Azalea Laverde, Cherish Heard, Caroline Eyer and Colleen O'Morrow. Directed by Jon Thompson.
Glam Struts
Each Strut blends fashion, music, movement, humor, and documentary-style spontaneity into a uniquely vertical storytelling experience. Starring and directed by Lachi Music. Also directed by Arthur Gwynne and Kylie Miller. Produced by Lachi Music.
Haunted By You (World Premiere)
In a small town bound by tradition, a grieving woman performs a forbidden ritual to summon her dead true love, only to unleash his increasingly powerful, vengeful and possessive spirit as she begins falling for the husband her father chose to replace him. Starring Tiffany Alvord, Dante Ayala, Eric Lutz and Jordan Kennedy. Directed by Olia Oparina. Produced by Phil Viardo, Rob McGillivray, and Johnathan Miller.
Hide-And-Seek with the CEO (World Premiere)
After a one-night stand that her CEO can’t remember, a secretary is ordered to find the woman he was with. The catch: every clue leads back to the one person she can’t afford to expose—herself. Starring Erin Orcutt, Shay Dinneen, B Hale and RG Netherland. Directed by Wesley Rodriguez.
Married the Wrong Guy (World Premiere)
Sarah's unhappy marriage leads her into the arms of Jamal, a mysterious fugitive carrying secrets powerful enough to expose dangerous criminals and the government. When she discovers her husband, federal agent Mark Thompson, is leading the manhunt for the man she loves, Sarah is forced into a deadly choice between love, loyalty, and survival. Starring Richard Lawson, Afiya Bennett and Lloyd Dickenson. Directed by Devon Jovi Johnson.
Newborn (World Premiere)
In 1979 Bronx, amid a brutal gang war, the Nine Pack—a makeshift family of young outcasts—takes in a newborn after one of their own returns bloodied and confused, forcing them to choose between loyalty, survival, and escape. Starring Jan Latto, Hannah Rose Doherty, Elias D'Onofrio, Patrick Eckland, Laura Grace Dhillon, Shira Gazit, Amanda Poise, James Millar, Juan Pablo Sanclemente, Marcel Simoneau, Peter Hart, Carolina Velásquez, Diego Rio Ortiz and Tom McKitterick. Directed by Jan Latto and Hannah Rose Doherty.
NOTED: Table For Two – A Vertical Series Anthology (World Premiere)
A disgraced therapist turned waiter is confronted by the man who destroyed his career, only to discover that the guilt he has carried for three years was never his to carry. Starring Gregory Alan Williams and Jarrett Michael Collins. Directed by Darion Danjou.
Opportunists (World Premiere)
Opportunists is a vertical comedy series following two New York transplants convinced they were born to be famous. Each episode finds Maddie and Sofia hatching a new scheme to get noticed, sacrificing their morals and dignity along the way. Starring Astrid Mendoza and McKenzie Waddell. Directed by Alexey Ayzin.
RelationshiTs (World Premiere)
Estranged sisters reunite in a West Village brownstone and possibly kill a toxic ex hours before a psychedelic relationship-healing ceremony, forcing them to hide the body, host a roomful of damaged New Yorkers, and survive the brutal truths unleashed by a mysterious truth tonic called RelationshiTs. Starring Lacy Marie Meyer, Sayra Player, Goya Robles, Jason Grimiste, Alfredo Diaz, Jon Seresi, Maggie Champagne, Alba Albanese, Francisco Solorzano, Rodrigo Lopresti and Nara Chaib Mendes. Directed by Carlos Cardona and Lacy Marie Meyer.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 - PREMIERES
50 Worst Dates
One fed-up but optimistic comedian. 50 unhinged dates. Comedian TaTa Sherise attempts to survive a rotation of fellow comics portraying the dating pool's most delusional red-flag characters in this fast-paced, improvised comedy series. Starring TaTa Sherise, Andrew Bossone, Paris Sashay and Leonard Outz. Directed by Andrew Bossone.
Billionaire’s Broken Vow (World Premiere)
When a jilted bride wakes up married to a mysterious billionaire after a blackout wedding, she discovers he chose her deliberately — as a weapon against the political dynasty that destroyed his family — and must decide whether the man she's falling for is real, or just the last move in his revenge. Starring Lottie Guidi, Robbie Silverman, Eric Roberts, Ella Potts and Ben Trotter. Directed by Alex Boi.
Blood Surfer (World Premiere)
When a day walking vampire falls for the heartthrob of the local surf scene, he must choose between life under the sun or repaying an ancient blood debt that his family owes to a ruthless vampire overlord. From Malix Media. Starring Noah Bird and Sophie Teasell. Directed by Alex Reinhard.
Haunted (World Premiere)
A girl who talks to ghosts falls for the one boy she's told to fear: the untouchable son of a serial killer. To be together, they'll have to unmask the murderer, framing him, before she's next. Starring Joseph Purcell, Halle Fletcher and Ben Armstrong. Directed by Soma Helmi.
Glaze (U.S. Premiere)
Helin is done with men. Or so she says. With her two best friends by her side, she navigates dating, family pressure and cultural expectations while trying to figure out what she actually wants. Starring Victoria Elabdi Jensen, Fadumo Abdalla and Kathrina Assaf. Directed by Milan Ganesan.
Lola (World Premiere)
When strange visions disrupt her ordinary life in Tokyo, Lola discovers she is the last Taleweaver, a guardian who transforms bonds and memories into magic, and must embrace her power before a hollow force erases every story worth remembering. Directed by Suraj Bhan Singh and Aiden Guo.
Mobking Crimes Series (World Premiere)
After seven years presumed dead, underworld legend Mike White resurfaces in Miami, reigniting old alliances, drawing federal attention, and stepping back into a criminal world that has learned to survive without him. Starring Ciro Dapagio, Antoni Corone, Bryan Byrnes, Garry Pastore, Elisabetta Fantone, Celine Alva, Lola Dapagio, Tommy Gunn, J. Bishop, and Elgin David. Directed by Ciro Dapagio and Jokes Yanes.
My Grandmother Died and Left Me Everything. Now They Hate Me (World Premiere)
After inheriting her grandmother’s botanica, Alina finds herself at the center of a family battle over its future. Stubborn and determined to keep what is hers, she is drawn into a world of spiritual forces, buried traditions, and dangerous consequences. Starring Marila Lombrozo, Andresito Germosen De La Cruz, Alicia Marie Agramonte, Norma Maldonado, Angelina Barbieri, Adargiza De Los Santos and Javier Schialer. Directed by Cynthia Garcia Williams, Sofie Khan, Miguel Angel Duran and Magdalena Albizu.
Spirited Ladies: A Neat History (World Premiere)
Joined by historians, authors, and industry experts, renowned cocktail educator Jena Ellenwood explores the rich global history of women in fermentation, distillation, and cocktail culture. Starring Jena Ellenwood, Ava Forte Vitali, Dr. Nicola Nice, Tonya Hopkins and Shannon Mustipher. Directed by Jena Ellenwood.
Post Screening: Renowned cocktail educator Jena Ellenwood will lead a special 21+ mixology experience inspired by the series.
The Count (World Premiere)
When a retired Army First Sergeant volunteering at a local election office discovers evidence of ballot tampering, she risks everything to expose a conspiracy designed not to steal the election, but to destroy America's faith in democracy. Starring Dominique Toney and Ignacyo Matynia. Directed by Gary Entin and Edmund Entin.
Wuthering Heights (World Premiere)
On a present-day American ranch, Cathy and Heathcliff, the orphan her father raised as his own, share a love that borders on obsession—until their father dies and her vengeful brother Hindley returns to tear them apart. Starring Jean Evans, Ethan Vaughan, Gabriel Quintella, Maia Sky and Dante Ayala. Directed by Alex Hunt.
ALZA Festival is also offering special themed double feature programs throughout the weekend including:
Keeping It New York: Stories of Preservation, Place and the People Who Care
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NYC Rolodex Recs: One found rolodex. A city’s forgotten favorites, one storefront at a time. Created by Mari Huang.
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Painting It Forward: What makes a New Yorker? Taking what you’re given and leaving it better than you found it. Created by Starr Fuentes.
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The Mom Calls (World Premiere): A comedy about phone calls a mom lives for and a daughter unpacks in therapy. Created by Megan Broussard.
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Voicemails From My Neighbor: Package theft brought them together. Interpretive dance kept it going. Created by Sydni Beaudoin.
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Shanghai Sherlock: A comic murder mystery in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson unravel a deadly opium-trade conspiracy in Shanghai.
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How Not To Write A Rom Com: A meta-cinematic romantic comedy about a filmmaker who casts his ex’s new boyfriend to play himself.
