Philadelphia Independent Film Festival (PIFF) 2025
If your eyes are numb from Hollywood and you've memorized every Netflix plot twist, it's time to wake them up. Head to PIFF for a lineup of the best indie films out there — short films, documentaries, visual experiments. This festival is all about new voices, bold storytelling, and that rare feeling that cinema can still surprise you.
May 7
1:30 - 2:30 pm $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Experimental, Arthouse


  1. Monument (Experimental) 17:24 min. (Richmond, Virginia) Director Jeremy Drummand
  2. Object Permanence (Experimental, Arthouse, Silent) 17:17 min. (Brooklyn, NY) Director Juan Lopez ❖
  3. Stone House Lane: Philadelphia Institute of Psychogeography (Experimental) 4:23 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Alan Pelz-Sharpe
  4. A Sign of the Times (Experimental) 1:47 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Peter Rose ❖
  5. Plantasia (Experimental) 4:00 min. (Canada) Director T.M. Glass & Bob Evrin
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Festival De Animacion #18

  1. Lint (Animation) 14:28 min. (Philadelphia, PA,) Director Luis Hernandez
  2. Birds of Feather (Animation) 4:44 min. (Rochester , NY) Director Katie Cobbs
  3. Into Red Tale (Animation) 4:05 min. (NY) Director Alisdair Zhang
  4. Guest from Elsewhere (Chicago,Il) 6:40 min. (Animation) Director Ethan Anderson
  5. Magic Beans (Animation) 06:25 min. (Pottstown, PA) Director Alex Hagendorf ❖ Christopher & the Bug (Animation) 12:07 min. (Canada) Director Vanessa Lynn Esteves, Kevin Micallef
  6. Voicemails from my Dad (Animation) 05:53 min. (Los Angeles, CA) Director Gabby Cherney
  7. With Tits (Animation) 3:00 min. (Carrolltown, PA) Director Delia Morchesky
7:00 PM! $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Opening Night Comedy

  1. Date Night (Comedy) 5:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Joseph Biello
  2. Shaba Daba (Comedy) 12:11 min. (Philadelphia) Director Tony Dinero
  3. Sorority Court (Comedy) 12:25 min. (NYC) Director Emily Draper
  4. Sex Pirates of 1931 (Comedy) 14:12 min. (Philadelphia/Ireland) Director Megan McGurk
  5. INTERMISSION - Viaticum (Comedy) 14:00 min. (Lincoln University, PA) Director Derek Frey
  6. Muddy Goes to College (Comedy) 11:29 min. (Philadelphia) Director Alex Rienhard
  7. No Thoughts! (Comedy) 17:45 min. (Ohio/Philadelphia) Director Steve McJones
May 8
12:10 PM - 1:20 PM $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Eclectic Matinee

  1. Monument (Experimental) 17:24 min. (Richmond, Virginia) Director Jeremy Drummand
  2. Object Permanence (Experimental, Arthouse, Silent) 17:17 min. (Brooklyn, NY) Director Juan Lopez ❖
  3. Stone House Lane: Philadelphia Institute of Psychogeography (Experimental) 4:23 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Alan Pelz-Sharpe
  4. A Sign of the Times (Experimental) 1:47 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Peter Rose ❖
  5. Plantasia (Experimental) 4:00 min. (Canada) Director T.M. Glass & Bob Evrin
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
  1. Single Light (Drama) 19:16 min. (Israel) Director Shaylee Atary
  2. Home/Land (Documentary) 22:44 min. (Brooklyn, NY / Israel) Director Adam Chitayat
5:35 - 7:15 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
  1. Hello Beautiful (DRAMA) 01:41:00 min. (Los Angeles, CA) Director Zlad
  2. My Name Was Jacob (Drama) 7:00 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Kyle Prout
7:45 PM - 9:45 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
  1. Traumnovelle (Horror) 01:48:00 min. (Berlin, Germany) Director Florian Frerichs
  2. They’re Taking My House (Experimental) 4:23 min. Director Dan Lopez
10:00 PM - 11:10 PM $15
  1. The Black-Eyed Children (Horror) 01:10:02 min, Director József Gallai
6:50 PM - 7:50 PM $15

REC Philly (901 Market St. Suite #2120, Philadelphia, PA. 19107)
  1. James West & The Electret Microphone (Documentary) 12:44 min. (North Centon, Ohio) Director Andrew Blike
  2. ABBY (Psychological Thriller) 10:23 min. (Philadelphia) Director Dorséa Palmer ❖
  3. 20:15 Mexico DF (Romance, LGBTQ) 06:32 min. (Philadelphia) Director Alejandro Di Meglio
  4. Victorine (Magical Realism, Folkloric) 19:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Lunise Cerin
8:15 PM - 9:35 PM $15

REC Philly (901 Market St. Suite #2120, Philadelphia, PA. 19107)
  1. Influence: A Film in Verse (Experimental) 61 min. (Philadelphia) Director Madeline Johnson
  2. They’re Taking My House (Experimental) 4:23 min. Director Dan Lopez
  3. Farm Grrrl Folk Punk: Motherwort (Music Documentary) 5:18 min (New York, NY) Director Austin Lee Bunn
May 9
1:30 PM - 2:35 $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Eclectic Matinee

  1. Black Bear (T one Poem) 15:13 min. (Philadelphia) Director Benjamin Roe, Michael Messina
  2. Shaba Daba (Comedy) 12:11 min. (Burbank, CA) Director Tony Dinero ❖
  3. Made of Paper (Romance, Surreal) 12:27 min. (Philadelphia) Director Katherine Caro
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
New York & Philadelphia HORROR

  1. Voyeur (Horror) 14:33 min. (Brooklyn, NY) Director Isaac S Martin ❖
  2. Fiend (Horror) 9:38 min. (Sherman Oaks, CA) Director Lucas Cavanagh ❖
  3. Horror Tales of Shalom Kolontarov (Horror) 15:00 min. (NY) Director Shalom Kolontarov ❖
  4. Threnody (Horror) 18:00 min. (NY) Director Isaias Badilla 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
  5. Inkwell Hell (Horror) 13:13 min. (Philadelphia/Rochester Institute of Technology) Director Mario Brown ❖
  6. Hivemind (Horror) 3:16 min. (Pennsylvania) Director Joey Tangradi ❖
  7. Face to Face (Horror, Thriller) (Philadelphia) 12:45 min. Director Thomas Emmet
  8. Ashton Grin (Horror) 5:19 min. (Philadelphia) Director J.P. Hoffman
  9. My Special Boy (Horror) 12:07 min. (Philadelphia) Director Kayla Bowman
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Science Fiction is Real SCIFI IS REAL

  1. Mom Jolie (Science Fiction) 29 min. (Newtown Square, PA) Director Aydan Schlaffman
  2. Driven Out (Science Fiction) 20 min. (New Jersey) Director Andy Currie
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM $15
Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
BEYOND TIME. BEYOND SPACE. BEYOND IMAGINATION Science Fiction #2

  1. Trial 54 (Science Fiction) 17:35 min. Director Davis Rohrer
  2. Endless (Science Fiction) 10:45 min. (Portland, Oregon) Director Derek Willis
  3. Hawlings Time Experiment (Science Fiction) 30:00 min. (China) Director Zhenghui Chen
5:45 PM - 6:45 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Philly Drama in Shorts #3

  1. Lights out (Drama) 11:41 min. Director William Gleeson
  2. Calling Card (Drama, Comedy) 5:46 min. (Philadelphia/Australia) Director Annabelle Miller
  3. Chickentown (Drama) 13:10 min. (Bryn Mawr, PA) Director Madeline Poeta
  4. Be My Lil Baby (Drama) 2:30 min. Director Alistair McDonald, Jesse Smallwood
7:10 PM - 9:00 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
  1. James West & The Electret Microphone (Documentary) 12:44 min. (North Centon, Ohio) Director Andrew Blike
  2. ABBY (Psychological Thriller) 10:23 min. (Philadelphia) Director Dorséa Palmer ❖
  3. 20:15 Mexico DF (Romance, LGBTQ) 06:32 min. (Philadelphia) Director Alejandro Di Meglio
  4. Victorine (Magical Realism, Folkloric) 19:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Lunise Cerin
9:15 - 10:45 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)

Before I T urn (Drama/Zombie) 10 min. (New Jersey) Director Saif Rehman
May 10
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
  1. Gay Marriage Next (Documentary) 16:00 min. (Brooklyn, NY) Director Emily Clark
  2. Days Between Rest (Documentary) 11:42 min. (Philadelphia) Director Peter Decherney
2:00 PM - 3:10 PM $15

Purple Light Filmmakers Lounge (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
DRAMA Time Screenings

  1. Orange juice (Drama) 12:00 min. (Los Angeles, CA) Director Erin Brennan
  2. Zhen (Drama) 11:00 min. (Iran) Director Azam Hasanpou
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Science Fiction is Real SCIFI IS REAL

  1. Mom Jolie (Science Fiction) 29 min. (Newtown Square, PA) Director Aydan Schlaffman
  2. Driven Out (Science Fiction) 20 min. (New Jersey) Director Andy Currie
2:10 PM - 3:11 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Documentary

I Died (Documentary) 61 min. (Chiapas, Mexico) Director Ana Tsuyeb
3:35 PM - 4:50 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Documentary

  1. Lucky Jack 61 min. (Documentary) (Trenton, NJ) Director Bridgett Smith
  2. A House For My Mother (Documentary) 16 min. (New York) Director Pilar Timpane, Benjamin Nero
5:35 - 6:10 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
AI in filmmaking

1. Ghost of the Forest (AI) 5:22 min. (Italy) Director Francesca Fini
2. Heartbeat (AI) 8:06 min.(USA) Director Justin Suarez
3. Everywhere is a good future (AI) 3:52 min. (China) Director Juno Wang
4. Ahab’s Curse (AI) 9:00 min.
USA) Director Justin Suarez
5. SAMSĀRA (AI) 1:46 min. (Korea, Republic of) Director Sangwook Ahn
6. Miroir (AI) 2:38 min. (Portugal) Director Stephane Benini

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Philadelphia DRAMA in short

  1. Soil (Drama) 14:27 min. (Philadelphia) Director Ben McLaughlin
  2. LYZ (Dramedy) 10:22 min. (Chester , PA) Director Darnell Brown
  3. Good Job Troy (Life) 3:58 min. (Philadelphia) Director Austin Courtney
8:00 PM - 8:55 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
Horror from around the globe

  1. Weal (Drama/Horror) 15:00 min. (Drexel Hill, PA) Director Chase Antenucci
  2. The Itch (Horror) 14:28 min. (Mexico/USA) Director Gordon Phillips
  3. Monster (Horror) 11:04 min. (China) Director 乔 乔治
  4. Damp (Horror) 13:00 min. (Argentina) Director Julieta Quiroga
9:10 PM - 10:00 PM $15

Canal Street Film Center (941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19123)
PIFF MUSIC VIDEO Festival

  1. Guitar on the River (Music Video) 04:12 min. ( Philadelphia, PA) Director Jefferson Berry
  2. Anime Song “You Light the Stars” (Music Video) 2:50 min. (Japan) Director Gregory Christopher Snelgar
  3. Country Couture (Music Video) 3:20 min. (Henderson, NV) Director Dustin J. Robinson
  4. Everything Is Shattered (Music Video) 2:30 min. (Los Angeles, CA) Director Walter Santucci
  5. Adrian Sutherland - Precious (Music Video) 3:52 min. (Winnipeg, Canada) Director Rose Anna Schick
  6. About You - David Sosa featuring Jaspen Casper (Music Video) 4:12 min. (Bronx, NY)
  7. O Death Rock Me Asleep (Music Video) 3:00 min. (Brooklyn, NY) Director Amelia Xanthe Boscov
  8. The Bath (Music Video) 4:12 min. (France) Director Oliver Conrad
  9. MEIN BALLIN. Supercasanova (Music Video) 4:42 min. (NY) Director David Byron Kelley
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM $15

Philadelphia Ethical Society
(1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103)
  1. Room Tone (Drama) 19:20 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Tatyana Yassukovich. Asound man who lives in a version of his silent movie finds himself on a set with an all female crew.
  2. The Space Between Attack and Decay (Experimental) 28:56 min. (Philadelphia, PA) Director Jessica Kourkounis. A solitary sailing scientist, assigned to resurrect a drowning world, abandons his task in order to chase the enchanting allure of a shiny object.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM $15

Philadelphia Ethical Society
(1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103)
  1. Cut From My Own Cloth (Drama, Coming of Age) 10:00 min. (Philadelphia)Director Zivia Avelin
  2. Surveillance (Comedy, Drama) 15:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Shaina George Billy & Kidd (Comedy, Western) 10:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Lola Knox, Connor Fuges
  3. Since I Last Saw Amara (Drama) 15:00 min. (Philadelphia) Director Izzy Mansaray
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM $15

Philadelphia Ethical Society
(1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103)
THE MIRACLE (Drama) 1:58 min. (Philippines) Director Lemuel Lorca
10 PM
941 N Front Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Closing Ceremony