2025 WYO Film Festival

In signing up for the longest endurance horse race in the world, Deirdre thinks she’s competing for herself but she comes to realize she’s doing it for her daughters as well.

2023 / US / 17:36 Minutes

DIRECTORS: Martha Gregory, Evan Carter
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Evan Carter
EDITOR: César Martinez Barba

“A Wayward Feeling” joins sculptor Patrick Dougherty in the midst of creating one of his final pieces before retirement as he muses on his process and motivations and the importance of art as work.

2024 / US / 10:46 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Kevin Heath Richey
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Kevin Heath Richey
EDITOR: Kevin Heath Richey
COMPOSER: Jim Ruberto
SOUND DESIGN & MIXING: Monte Nickles

In Beneath The Surface – An Only Co. Original Docuseries™ – discover the extraordinary story of Teton County School District #1—where innovation, resilience, and vision come together to transform education.

This powerful film takes you beyond the classroom to reveal how Teton County addresses some of the most pressing challenges in one of the country’s most unique communities. From the groundbreaking Dual Immersion program to bold housing initiatives for educators, Beneath The Surface celebrates the people and programs that make these schools exceptional.

Created in collaboration with Only Co., this film highlights the power of community-driven solutions and the relentless pursuit of excellence in education.

2025 / US / 28:40 Minutes

DIRECTORS: Jeremiah Karr, Only Co.

A talkative parrot attempts to befriend a boy with Tourette’s syndrome

2024 / US / 4:44 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Katie Cobos
BACKGROUND ARTIST: Shine Xing
COMPOSER: Ethan Cobos

Featuring the heartfelt story of the rescue of a wild mustang, “Blue Zeus” shines light on the plight of America’s wild horses, exposing a flawed and corrupt government system rampant with animal abuse and paralyzing bureaucracy. Wild horse advocate Clare Staples attempts to rescue Blue Zeus after he and his family are captured by the US government. After 9 months, Clare is finally able to rescue him, but then she must beat all odds to find his family that are lost in an overcrowded system. With unparalleled access to government employees, their helicopter contractors, and a whistle-blower, the film delivers jaw-dropping journalism through an emotional and visually stunning story.

2024 / US / 75 Minutes

DIRECTORS: Rocky Romano, Miranda Winters
PRODUCERS: Jamie Baldanza, Analís Martin, Nicholas McCarthy
MUSIC: Bradford Ellis, Joseph Vitarelli, Chris Andrews
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Daryl Hannah, Robert Martin, Michael Holster, Janet Russell, Mathew Rhys

Brain Break is a film about an artists acceptance of failure. Sometimes we just can’t make it work, and that’s okay. Stepping away and living life is just as important as your craft, even if the only thing that comes out of it is a good day.

2024 / US / 5 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Gretchen Kowalczyk

Catching Pinecones is the story of Jan and Herb Conn, pioneering rock climbers and cave explorers who lived life to the fullest on their own terms. Rejecting a conventional lifestyle in pursuit of adventure and fun, the Conns’ story reveals a legacy of renowned discoveries and their philosophies for a simple, well-lived life.

2025 / US / 72 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Chad Heddleston
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Parker Michels-Boyce
PRODUCERS: Chad Heddleston, Parker Michels-Boyce
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Christine Lockerby
EDITORS: Parker Michels-Boyce, Sheree Chen
STORY EDITORS: Christine Lockerby, Daniel Bagbey

CHLOROPHYLL is an offbeat satire about Lola, a wannabe “influencer” so overwhelmed by the outside world that she isolates herself and fabricates her own reality. A “new ecosystem,” free from chaos. She fills her home with houseplants, flirts with the camera, and broadcasts her illusion to a small, devoted social media following.  But when Lola’s addiction to this fantasy finally pushes away her boyfriend-slash-videographer Theo, she finds herself at the mercy of a power-hungry spider plant who’s been watching her every move.

Inspired by B-horror movies and cult classics, CHLOROPHYLL is a film about obsession and delusion, connection and isolation.

2024 / US / 12:31 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Matthew Decker
WRITER: Jenise Morgan
PRODUCER: Sean Devaney
EDITORS: Rosella Tursi, Serena Forghieri 
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ethan Palmer

Between being constantly outbid on dilapidated houses, and deadline with an odd roommate penchant for being naked, house hunting has not been easy for young couple Brian and Suzanne. They can’t believe their luck when they finally find their dream home – and at a price that’s almost too good to be true. After moving into their brand new, sea facing South Dublin apartment, they soon discover that this idyllic spot isn’t quite what it seems.

When objects start moving of their own accord, Brian begins to suspect Apartment 19 in the Seaview complex is haunted and even calls in spiritual assistance (much to Suzanne’s irritation). As tensions escalate between the couple, and as their living situation becomes borderline dangerous, Suzanne and Brian must face an impossible dilemma. How much are they willing to put up with to keep their dream home?

2024 / Ireland / 14:50 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Gemma Creagh
WRITER: Gemma Creagh
PRODUCERS: Maeve McGrath, Keith Bogue
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Jaro Waldek
SOUND DESIGNER: Andy Kirwin
EDITOR: Phil Shanahan

Agnes Vianzon has built the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corp to change the lives of the marginalized communities it serves. Challenged by the rugged working conditions corp-members transform through a season of life; living on the land and in community. Life is never quite the same afterwards.

2025 / US / 11 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Sam Fish

Winner of the 2024 Focus Features Social Impact Award, Hag is a Southern Gothic Horror that follows a young queer woman battling with demons both real and emotional, while pregnant with her first child.  Through supernatural and historical means, she has to save herself and her child from an Urban legend come to life.

2024 / US / 21:43 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Jay Najeeah
WRITER: Jay Najeeah
PRODUCER: Cameron Logan
COMPOSER: Brooks Leibee

No more lettuce, no more artichokes… no more broccoli! This is the future that Kid President envisions as he rolls out his most daring policy yet: a ban on all vegetables. In this 2D animated mockumentary, viewers get an inside look as Kid President attempts to strongarm his policy past his rag-tag administration and an alarmed White House press corps. Can Kid President make his vegetable-free dream a reality?

2024 / US / 5:20 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Yadid Hirschtritt Licht
WRITER: Yadid Hirschtritt Licht
ANIMATION TEAM: Kacie Cunningham, Jade Day, Stephen Deming, Mara Logan, Zoë Lyttle, Fred Maas, John Nolan, Avery Williams
COMPOSER: Karen Bao
SOUND DESIGNER: Joseph Vnuck
SOUND ENGINEERS: Efi Nibo, Brianna Smith

Kumar Kumar is all alone on his birthday. His social media feed is dead. Maybe he should be too? But then, the computer dings.

2025 / US / 11 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Kiran Koshy
WRITER: Matt League
PRODUCERS: Matt League, Kiran Koshy, Joshua Hess, Parvesh Cheena
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Joshua Hess
EDITOR: Adam Henderson

After sharing a walk home with an unexpected companion, a grieving mother leaves all she has left so she can finally live.

2025 / US / 19:59 Minutes

WRITER: Emily Rasmuss
DIRECTOR: Sarah Sherman
PRODUCERS: Emily Rasmuss, Sarah Sherman
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Declan Saint-Onge
SOUND DESIGNER: Theodore Robinson

With less than a handful of fluent Haida speakers, Nayak’aq Yaahl (6) shares a message all in the Haida language: even though we may be going through difficult times, be still and listen to our ancestors.

2024 / US / 2:00 Minutes

DIRECTOR: ‘Wáats’asdíyei Joe Yates
WRITERS: ‘Wáats’asdíyei Joe Yates, Dag Juus Rob Yates
PRODUCER: ‘Wáats’asdíyei Joe Yates

While attending his grandfather’s 84th birthday party, 12-year-old Jackson meets Patina, a larger-than-life woman with a mysterious past. As time begins to bend, Jackson uncovers the hidden stories that linger in forgotten places.

2025 / US / 11 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Jake Hull
WRITER: Jake Hull
PRODUCER: Alexander Jeffery
LINE PRODUCER: Brittany Fallow
EDITOR: Jonathan Cuartas
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Logan Gee
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Camille Gladney
CULTURAL CONSULTANT: Casey Camp-Horinek

In a gray and rainy world, a girl begins her journey to seek the rainbow rain.

2025 / US / 5:08 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Guyu Liang
PRODUCERS: Xiaowen Wu, Cilin Chen
ANIMATORS: Guyu Liang
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Nga Weng Chio
VOCALIST, LYRICS, SONGWRITER: Aspen Jacobsen
SOUND, DESIGN, AND MIXING: Yang Liu
FOLEY ENGINEER AND PERFORMANCE: Linnan Liu
RECORDING AND MIXING ENGINEER: Michael Gossard
RECORDING ASSISTANT: Carissa A.Wong
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Cilin Chen
VOICE ACTOR: Aspen Jacobsen
INDIGO BIRD DESIGN: Linjie Yang
COLORIST: Muling Shi

A coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.

Ku Stevens (17) is the solo runner at his high school with no coach. Living on the Yerington Paiute reservation in Northwest Nevada he needs more to be seen by his dream school, the University of Oregon.

As Ku trains, unreconciled emotions unearth the memory of his great-grandfather, Frank Quinn. At 8 years old, Frank ran 50 miles across the desert to escape an Indian boarding school. Frank’s story becomes interwoven with Ku’s journey to run a collegiate qualifying time.

Will Ku outrun his history or will he learn to run in parallel with it to achieve his dreams?

2025 / US / 87 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Paige Bethmann
PRODUCER: Jessica Epstein
EDITOR: Stephanie Khoury
CONSULTING EDITOR: Randy Redroad
ADDITIONAL EDITOR: Eric F Martin
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Shai Ben-dor
POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Stina Hamlin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Tracy Rector, Andrea Meditch, Wendy Ettinger, Billy Mills

A young man’s drunken joyride turns into a living nightmare when the victim of his hit-and-run won’t stay put in the trunk.

2025 / US / 5:36 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Mike Overton
WRITER: Michael Monaghan
PRODUCERS: Liam Morrison, Michael Monaghan, Mike Overton, Sam Robinson
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sam Robinson
POST PRODUCTION: Mike Overton

Throughout the course of the Haida basketball season, leaders of iconic rez ball team the Skidegate Saints compete for two titles – defending their All Native Basketball Championship, while battling for title to their land and waters with the government that stole it from them with the Indian Act.

2025 / Canada / 97 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Patrick Shannon
WRITER: Patrick Shannon
PRODUCER: Michael Tanko Grand

During a snow day, three girls find themselves in a tricky situation after one of them accidentally goes too far during their snowball fight.

2024 / US / 2:43 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Jenny Shuermann
PRODUCER: Gillian McDerment
ANIMATORS: Catherine Brennan, Conor Badilo, Kiara Haines, Ciara Haines, Madeline Brennan, Everett Zhang, Mick Bransfield
CONCEPT ARTISTS: Jessica Lee, Julia Paiewonsky, Rachel Currid, Alex Putprush
TECHNICAL ARTISTS: Kate McNeely, Clarisse Chiang, Nailah Duliepre, Sarah Putka, Rubi Rivas
EDITOR: Alison Wiese

Elizabeth, an impossibly precocious seven year old Lego constructor, struggles with “imagination blur” as her three year old sister attempts to free her from her rigid thinking.

2025 / US / 11 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Scott Morris
WRITER: Scott Morris

Laura joins her old friend Ina and Ina’s partner Erik for a casual dinner. On the surface, everything seems friendly. But beneath it lies a dangerous obsession. Laura is in love with Erik. In her bag: a vial of ricin — one of the most lethal poisons on earth. As the evening seemingly unfolds harmoniously, a diabolical plan is secretly unfolding.

2025 / Germany / 9:25 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Adrian Letzner
WRITER: Adrian Letzner
PRODUCER: Adrian Letzner
COMPOSER: Brooks Leibee

A team of 15 multiple myeloma survivors, care partners, and world-renowned physicians, embarks on the Iceland Cycling Expedition (ICE). Their mission: to cycle through Iceland’s rugged landscape to raise critical funds for groundbreaking myeloma research.

This documentary captures the raw beauty of Iceland, from its volcanic terrain to its icy waterfalls. It follows the riders as they brave challenging trails, endure unpredictable weather, and push themselves to the limit. Through their journey, we witness the power of human endurance, the strength of community, and the hope for a future free from myeloma.

The film shares personal stories of resilience, exploring the motivations, challenges, and triumphs of the cyclists—many of whom are myeloma patients. It highlights the emotional and physical toll of the expedition while celebrating the camaraderie and unwavering support among team members.

2024 / US / 14:30 Minutes

DIRECTORS: Heimir fReyr Hlöðversson, Petur Thor Ragnarsson
PRODUCERS: Sylvia Dsouza, Peter Anton, Jason Gregory London

A short film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. With a cast comprised of viral video singing talents and other one-of-a-kind personalities from the unlikeliest corners of the internet, the film is an experimental docu-musical hybrid crafted like an improvisational play.

2025 / US / 17 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Sam Davis
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Rayka Zehtabchi
PRODUCERS: Charlie Cohen, David Breschel, Jack Piatt
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sam Davis
EDITOR: Sam Davis

RC Carter, a fourth-generation cattle rancher, manages a sprawling operation three miles north of Ten Sleep, Wyoming, at the base of the Bighorn Mountains. Carter’s focus is on grass-fed beef production, and he sees his soil as a microscope into seeing the truth – what is healthy, and what’s not. Historically, the land was stewarded by massive herds of bison, but after their disappearance in the late 1800s, cattle and sheep herding took over, without proper rest periods for the land, which led to severe degradation until the government intervened to slow the decline. Today, Carter sees the solution in addressing water accessibility and intensifying grazing management. Despite the challenges of navigating policies and using regenerative grazing on arid landscapes, Carter’s goal is to heal the land while ensuring his cattle business remains profitable, and providing healthy food for people.

2025 / US / 6:26 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Kirk Horton
PRODUCER: RC Carter

Memory Care expert Scott Tarde is building Town Square — a replica of a 1950s “Main Street” complete with vintage Thunderbirds, a soda fountain, and classic movies playing in the theater. It’ll seem real down to the last brick. Except for its Alzheimer’s-suffering inhabitants, it won’t feel like a recreation. They’ll feel like they’re home.

2024 / US / 32:37 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Josh Izenberg
PRODUCER: Brett Marty

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 wild 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.

2025 / US / 1:59 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Lauren Hale
COMPOSER: Finneas Moore
SOUND DESIGNER: Noah Fox

A quick look at the history of the WYO Performing Arts & Education Center and a glimpse into its future.

2025 / US / 23:35 Minutes

DIRECTOR: Max Brown

While the Mom and the Dad try to put their baby to sleep, a competition arises between them: who will manage to get the baby to say the first word?

2024 / France / 3:00 Minutes

DIRECTORS: Lyna Tadount, Sofian Chouaib
WRITERS: Lyna Tadount, Sofian Chouaib
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Axel Dos Santos
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Zéphir Culmann
SET DECORATOR: Maxime Le Breton
ASSISTANT CAMERA: Thomas Mireau
SOUND ENGINEER: Pierre Carlier
GAFFER: Jonathan Faro
MAKE-UP ARTIST: Lara Gourg
LOCATION MANAGER: Cynthia Meier
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: Aryane Nassirian
COLORIST: Axel Dos Santos
SOUND EDITOR & MIXER: Mathis Kuntz