2025 Annual Event

On Sunday 26 October 2025 the Ridder Film Festival lights up two cities at the same hour. One celebration unfolds in Los Angeles, the other in London. Each location curates its own programme. London will spotlight outstanding work submitted from the United Kingdom and the wider European scene, while our Los Angeles screening champions the best voices from North America. The same spirit runs through both nights: a full slate of official selections, lively conversations with the filmmakers, and a relaxed after-screening mixer with drinks.

Los Angeles Edition

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Pandaal

Director: Shaily Sanghvi

Runtime: 16 minutes

A female pimp, dispensing her own brand of justice by pimping out abusive men, must confront her darkest secrets when a new case brings her haunting past to light.

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The Parting Gift

Director: Stephen Lemieux

Runtime: 13 minutes

A US Marine stationed in Ukraine comes face to face with his own mortality and the supernatural workings of fate.

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One Brother

Director: Oskar Nilsson

Runtime: 17 minutes

Jadon, an ex convict, attempts to rebuild his life post prison, but the struggles of supporting his family through financial and mental health crisis force him back into the criminal world.

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Cry baby Cry

Director: Esther Carrieann Caszo

Runtime: 13 minutes

Liz struggles to reclaim her sense of self and sexuality after a traumatic experience of sexual violation. She navigates emotional isolation, friendship, and the complexities of modern dating in a quiet, introspective journey toward healing.

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Working Title

Director: Guy Hartman Cocco

Runtime: 18 minutes

A struggling writer retreats to a remote cabin to finish his script. He discovers a mysterious old car that pulls him into a surreal loop of inspiration and identity that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

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Overlayed

Director: Joanna Bronson

Runtime: 10 minutes

Joanna blurs imagination and reality as her subconscious spills into animated visions. After decades in her creative career, she secures retirement for her tireless mother, Helena. Their generational divide turns the dream into a tug of war over what reality should be.

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Ring Ring

Director: Adrian Ramírez León

Runtime: 14 minutes

A grieving son buys a mysterious phone from an antique shop in order to talk to his late mother.

Buy Tickets for LA

Join us in Los Angeles for an evening of films and conversation.

Reserve Your Spot

London Edition

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Quality Control

Director: Adem Ulaş Dönmez

Runtime: 15 minutes

In a dystopian future, Akif finds himself caught in an event he does not understand. He is asked to shoot a stranger. With this decision, he will either integrate into society or live as a prisoner.

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The Last Dumpling

Director: Jadey Duffield

Runtime: 4 minutes

Two hungry men on a first date are faced with an awkward decision when only one dumpling remains on the plate. Will they feed each other or will they die trying?

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Egg

Director: Darren King

Runtime: 9 minutes

A teenage girl, trapped in an abusive home with her violent stepbrother, harbors a devastating secret that could shatter everything—until a moment of defiance turns the tides, leading to a reckoning.

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Drying Up

Director: Bence Nagy

Runtime: 14 minutes

Drying Up is a meditation on grief and memory, set in a coastal village where the sea looms as both reality and metaphor. It follows Walter, an aging man who clings to a private ritual to stay connected to his loss.

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My First Bite

Director: Déborah Guerrero

Runtime: 12 minutes

A woman tells us, with touches of sarcasm and bluntness, her most intimate and personal story. Through the most primal senses, she channels her greatest Achilles’ heel: anxiety.

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Ring Ring

Director: Adrian Ramírez León

Runtime: 14 minutes

A grieving son buys a mysterious phone from an antique shop in order to talk to his late mother.

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One Brother

Director: Oskar Nilsson

Runtime: 17 minutes

Jadon, an ex convict, attempts to rebuild his life post prison, but the struggles of supporting his family through financial and mental health crisis force him back into the criminal world.

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My Protector

Director: Tony Pancho

Runtime: 17 minutes

A suicidal stage 3 cancer patient has a life altering encounter at a river in a small town in Spain.

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Between Waves

Director: Wentao Liu

Runtime: 16 minutes

A Chinese real estate agent living in London struggling with his failing relationship and unstable job chose to live inside his car. He is forced to face hidden truths when his distant younger brother comes to visit, bringing tensions and secrets to the surface like waves that can’t be stopped.

Buy Tickets for London

Join us in London for an evening of films and conversation.

Reserve Your Spot