THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT has racked up 44 official selections at international film festivals, including eight official Oscar®-qualifying festivals, across 23 countries. The film last screened in NYC in 2024 at the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying New York Shorts…
Category: Short Films
Surprising how much can fit into so little.
TOW – One of Several Movies Premiering at Tribeca Fest 2025 That Deserves OSCAR Attention – Part 1
the WORD’s Tribeca Fest Film Review of SONGS OF BLACK FOLK: A 26-Minute Rhapsodic Documentary That Will Take Your Breath Away – Part 1 of 2 (Update June 9)

“A testament to the resilience, creativity, and cultural richness of Black artists in the Pacific Northwest. At its heart is the annual music program that brings together the largest gathering of Black musical talent on a single stage in the region, a powerful celebration of Juneteenth and the spirit of community it embodies.” –
Let’s Go Spread the Word.
WE ARE KINGS (2025) Film Short Review: Good? Bad? Ugly?
Banzai?!
Savvy folks know they need their mojos working in these dreadful times of alarming never-ending ghastly breaking news headlines about the economy, tariffs, immigration, Gaza & Ukraine, White House TACO Tantrums … and so on … and so forth. Good…
the WORD Q&A With THIS LAND Director Mike Bradley
THIS LAND: Eye Opening, Awe-Inspiring Award-Winning Short Film Documentary Telling the Incredible Story of Ganienkeh, a Sovereign Mohawk Community in Upstate New York

Poignant and timely. An awe-inspiring, must-watch for those interested in – and those who should be interested in – social justice, real American history and the power of grassroots movements to make things happen positively. The film does not blink at the violence and menace perpetrated by non-Native Americans nor does it shrink from it but the footnotes shouldn’t be ignored. Filmmaker Mike Bradley offers viewers the rare opportunity to engage with a powerhouse cinematic narrative of resistance, cultural preservation and the ongoing struggle for indigenous rights.
– By Gregg W. Morris, the WORD
BEFORE YOU (2025) A Pièce de Résistance by Award-Winning Director Laura Melinda – Part 1

Non-linear story telling techniques, phantasmagoric and kaleidoscopic imagery, surrealistism and an evocative, minimalistic soundscape (with occasional nuances of a fetus heartbeat), and a dab of cinematic accoutrements will have slews and slews of audience members gasping and fidgeting (literally and figuratively) on the edge of their seats. – By Gregg W. Morris
OVERLOOK FILM FESTIVAL – PART 2 – Kitchen Sink and All the Rest in the First Wave

Taking place April 3 – April 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival will welcome audiences back to America’s most haunted city with a terrifying selection of new and classic films as well as the extensive offs-screen offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and special guests that the annual horror staple has become known for. By Gregg W. Morris, Editor, Reviewer
A Whopping Poetic Slam Dunk:
I AM READY, WARDEN. By Smriti Mundhra, Director of This Oscar® Nominated Best Documentary Short Film (2025)

John Henry Ramirez Deathbed Post Mortem Eulogy. All right, let’s see. Y’all can still hear me right? Y’all can still hear me? All right. If y’all are seeing this, then obviously the State of Texas has murdered me. I’m sorry that y’all had to go through that. Thank you for everything. It’s been rough, but it’s been good having y’all with me, all y’all that stuck with me. – Excerpts of John Henry Ramirez’s eulogy about his execution. Article, review by Gregg W. Morris
CLODAGH Film Short Review – 17 Visually Sumptuous Minutes by Director Portia A. Buckley

During this short film beaut, audiences may overlook or even forget the things they’ve come to expect in regular feature films but those missing ingredients enhance this superb short, things such as a small cast, minimalist dialogue for much of the film and the fact that the film short isn’t in the preferred widescreen format. – Review by Gregg W. Morris