Cinema Columbus Film Festival Unveils 2025 Film Selections, Full Schedule
The festival will present more than 20 screenings involving approximately 50 feature and short films.
By: Josh Sharpe Mar. 31, 2025
The Cinema Columbus Film Festival has announced the roster of independent films selected for the 2025 festival and its screening schedule for April 30-May 4. The festival, which marks its fourth year in 2025, will present more than 20 screenings involving approximately 50 feature and short films at seven locations, including the Drexel Theatre, Gateway Film Center, Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse, Grandview Theater & Drafthouse, McConnell Arts Center, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Southern Theatre.
The 2025 festival will open at the Southern Theatre with Down to the Felt, directed by Columbus filmmaker Jon Osbeck and written by a trio of Columbus residents – Osbeck, Dino Tripodis and Ralph Scott. Filmed on location in Columbus, Down to the Felt tells the story of a down-on-his-luck compulsive gambler who has second thoughts after hiring a hitman to kill him. Tickets are $11. (This screening is sold out.)
The festival will close with a screening of the 1984 concert/documentary “STOP MAKING SENSE: A Film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads,” with a special guest appearance by Jerry Harrison. Tickets start at $39.
Tickets for the remainder of the schedule go on sale at 10 am on Monday, March 31. Tickets to individual screenings are $10, unless otherwise indicated. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), online at www.CinemaColumbus.com, or by phone at (614) 469-0939. Pre-purchasing is recommended, but if inventory allows, tickets may also be purchased at the door.
CINEMA COLUMBUS 2025 SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 30
7 pm – Down to the Felt dir. Jon Osbeck
Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.)
Paul Murphy, a charming, underdog gambler, is on a bad roll. In one day, he’s gambled away the down payment on a house, been kicked out by his girlfriend, and lost his job, forcing him to move back into his childhood home with his mother. But after a chance meeting with David Solomon, a troubled and conflicted Jewish hitman who has a death wish of his own, a deadly plan is set into motion which could change Paul’s dysfunctional take on luck. Paul gets two weeks to take it “down to the felt,” to go all in, before David kills him so his mom can collect on Paul’s insurance policy. It’s Paul’s final two minutes in his game of life. But when Paul starts winning, and meets the alluring and mysterious Erica Chambers, who knows her way around a poker table, life becomes a race against time for Paul to call off the hitman and stop the deadly hand been dealt.
Post-Screening Event: Moviegoers are invited to stay after the screening for a Q&A with Osbeck and actors from the film.
Thursday May 1
7 pm – They’re Here dir. Pacho Velez & Daniel Claridge
Wexner Center for the Arts (1817 N. High St.)
They’re Here uses UFO culture to explore perception and the human quest for connection. New York, with many UFO sightings, is home to believers like Cookie, her friend Steve, comic Twon, and spiritual devotee Dave, who share their encounters, revealing humor and empathy in their search for a shared experience.
Post-Screening Event: Virtual Q&A with filmmakers.
7 pm – I Really Love My Husband dir. GG Hawkins
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
Just one year into her marriage, Teresa (she/her) hopes her honeymoon in the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panamá will be the pinnacle of her relationship thus far. Yet, upon arrival, her perception of her husband Drew (he/him) as a people-pleasing golden boy begins to push her to the edge. Stripped of the routines that barely sustain their newlywed bond and unwilling to confront her true feelings, Teresa becomes captivated by Paz (they/them), a free-spirited expat who manages their vacation rental. In an impulsive attempt to reignite their fading connection, Teresa suggests a wild way to spice up their marriage.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
7pm – OUTCRY in Ohio: Short Film & Conversation dir. Clare Major
McConnell Arts Center (777 Evening St.)
OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage tells the story of Whitney Bradshaw as she photographs women mid-scream in cathartic group sessions where long-silenced stories conjure rage, sorrow, and joy. An activist and sexual abuse survivor, Whitney uses art to fuel action for women’s rights, culminating in a grassroots fight for abortion access in Ohio.
Post-Screening Event: Bradshaw, film director Clare Major, and other leaders will be present for a thoughtful panel conversation.
7 pm – Thursday Local Shorts
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
- The Sacred Society dir. Benny Zelkowicz
- forgotten dir. Maddie McSteen
- Before I Die dir. Julian Foglietti
- Styles Make Fights dir. Spencer Merriss
- The Ghost dir. Allyson Morgan
- Jim dir. Noah Abrams
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
Friday May 2
5 pm – Vacation Plantation dir. Alex Bezeau
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
Today, in the American South, there are as many historic plantation sites open to the public as there are Krispy Kreme locations across the United States, these sites indulging tourists’ fantasies, rather than the horrific realities of the past. Vacation Plantation grants unparalleled access to the modern American plantation tourism industry—from the priorities of today’s plantation owners, to the political balancing act of state representatives, to the descendants of the enslaved fighting for change. Archaeologist Lauren Cudmore goes on a journey to understand why millions of tourists continue to vacation at these sites of historic trauma.
5 pm – Speak. dir. Jennifer Tiexiera & Guy Mossman
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
Ambitious teen orators hone their craft, vying for glory in a prestigious global speech contest. Through dedication and artistry, they prepare to showcase their talents on the ultimate stage.
7 pm – Lone Wolves dir. Ryan Cunningham
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
When a single, pragmatic 40-something recruits the eclectic guy she didn’t go to prom with back in high school to be her D-I-Y sperm donor learns that he’s Autistic and navigating some significant mental health issues, her carefully planned hopes are turned upside down in one crazy weekend in Toledo, Ohio.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
8 pm – Creative(s) Block – Short Films about Artists
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
- Gioncarlo Valentine: Exposures dir. Zeshawn Ali
- Somewhere in Ohio…dir. Will Cherry
- Stuck in Frame dir. Tyler Nguyen
- Tessitura dir. Lydia Cornett & Brit Fryer
- Between Gigs dir. Brittney Briggs
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
9 pm – Memories of Los Angeles dir. Shawn Bannon
Studio 35 Drafthouse & Cinema (3055 Indianola Ave.)
Drift through time in Los Angeles, where grand movie palaces crumble, landmarks vanish, nature reclaims urban spaces, hidden oil wells come to light, and wildfires reshape a city in dramatic flux.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
Saturday May 3
1 pm – Battersea dir. T.J. Sandella
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
Estranged siblings reconvene at their childhood home, where they spend a precarious weekend drinking and talking, uncovering the narratives and secrets that have shaped their lives.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
1 pm – Canoe Dig It? dir. Samuel Dunning
Grandview Theater (1247 Grandview Ave.)
A comical look into the world of “Freestyle Canoeing” as a group of canoeists compete for the title of “Top Paddler” on a lake in Maine.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
2 pm – Animated Shorts
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
- Jus D’Orange dir. Alexandre Athané
- CARBOLOAD dir. Cole Thiele
- ONE dir. Thomas Richner
- Nostril dir. Michael Dondero & Shengnan Dong
- A Beetle’s Day Off dir. Ashley Olson
- Pride~In~Our~Steps dir. Jonathan Riles
- The Stairs dir. Faedra Hose
- Tennis, Oranges dir. Sean Pecknold
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
4 pm – Saturday Shorts 1
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
- A Summer’s End Poem dir. Lam Can-Zhao
- Belly Belly dir. Gabriel Carnick
- Matinee Baby dir. Thom Hilton
- Lyrical dir. Carter M. Stewart
- exuvia dir. Scott Burkhardt
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
4 pm – Documentary Shorts
Grandview Theater (1247 Grandview Ave.)
- Resonancia dir. James Choi
- Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania dir. Hansen Bursic
- Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens dir. Kristal Sotomayor
- Patient dir. Lori Felker
- The Fly Collectors dir. Jeff Arak
- Mother’s House dir. Garret Harkawik
4:30 pm – Shopping for Superman dir. Wes Eastin
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
The origin story of your friendly neighborhood comic shop. Tracing the 50-year history of the local comic book store's far-reaching impact, we examine their cultural significance and the numerous threats they face today.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
7 pm – Inheritance dir. Matt Moyer & Amy Toensing
Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.)
Inheritance explores the underlying causes of the opioid epidemic in America through the life of one boy and five generations of his extended family over 11 years. Curtis, a bright and hopeful 12-year-old, grows up surrounded by love and struggle while every adult in his family—parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—battles addiction. Curtis’s America is a country where people and communities are struggling with an epidemic of substance use disorder, joblessness, poverty, and a deteriorating sense of belonging.
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with filmmaker.
7 pm – Saturday Shorts 2
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
- Lucky Lenny dir. Jack Campise
- Ah-Ma Burns dir. Max Kane
- Argie Berman dir. Fon Davis
- The Blessing dir. Emma Pillsbury
- Ladybug dir. Donavan Myles Edwards
- Say As I Say dir. Daniel Solé
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
Sunday May 4
1:30 pm – Sunday Local Shorts
Gateway Film Center (1550 N High St.)
- I Had A Really Good Day dir. Mags Chamberlain
- Memoir dir. Jordan Sommerlad
- ORANGE dir. David James & Essie Baird
- STACY IS GONNA BE A STAR!!! dir. Lindy Tran
- Picture of a Lost Family dir. Aram Riazi
- Like What Would Sorrow Look dir. Hao Zhou
Post-Screening Event: Q&A with select filmmakers.
7 pm - Stop Making Sense: A Film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads dir. Jonathan Demme
Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.)
Cinema Columbus Film Festival will present a screening of the 1984 concert/documentary “STOP MAKING SENSE: A Film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads,” with a special guest appearance by Jerry Harrison. Newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary, the 1984 film was directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme and is considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time.
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