Many of today’s greatest visionaries got their start directing short films, from Sofia Coppola and Guillermo del Toro to Christopher Nolan, Kathryn Bigelow and Spike Lee. Shorts give filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their storytelling talent, hone their craft, and launch a career in filmmaking.

Today, we’re unveiling“Fresh Perspective: Short Films,” a collection of 12 shorts from up-and-coming filmmakers in the US and Canada who have been supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity. Through strategic partnerships with Gold House and Tribeca Studios, the Latino Film Institute, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and WIA Vancouver, Netflix has provided these directors with the necessary funding and resources to bring their unique stories to life.

Before arriving on Netflix, these short films played at over 145 film festivals around the world, including the Berlin International Film Festival, Spark Animation Festival and SXSW’s Film & TV Festival, with many claiming prestigious awards.

Learn more about these films below, and download images HERE and filmmaker bios HERE.

The Blue Drum by Angelita Mendoza

NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator

After her father’s death, Leticia comes to stay at her childhood home.  A supernatural presence attaches to her and calls for her to discover secrets long ago hidden within her family home.

The Braid of Time by Tamara Shogaolu 

Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship

Since the dawn of humanity, people have protested against erasure and oppression. They have gathered energy from protectors of time, fate, and destiny. In ancient Greece, they were called the Aion, in Mexico, Calputin, and in Korea, Samgong. But where have these mythic figures derived their power from? 

Closing Dynasty by Lloyd Lee Choi

Future Gold Film Fellowship with Gold House and Tribeca Studios

On a school day, a precocious seven-year-old girl, Queenie, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City.

Firecracker by Caroline Guo

NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator

On anniversary night, a young woman is confronted with a life-changing decision for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Inheritance by Erin Lau

Future Gold Film Fellowship with Gold House and Tribeca Studios

A struggling nature photographer is forced to confront the pain his family has carried for generations.

La Ciguapa Siempre by Monica Moore-Suriyage

Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship

Milagro just found out there is no record of her birth parents. Frustrated and feeling lost, her boyfriend takes her on a camping trip to help get her mind off things. As the trip progresses, Davis reveals he is not as wholesome as he seems, and the truth to Milagro’s identity is hiding deep in the woods.

Mama Retreat by Eileen Alvarez

NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator

A weary mother-to-be attends an all-inclusive glamping retreat in the mountains, only to have her greatest fears about motherhood realized.

Ostinato by Sunita Balsara and Sonia Furier 

WIA Vancouver ACE Program

Nuha is a composer who sees the world as a vibrant soundscape. She is having the best and gentlest kind of morning when her playing is interrupted by a mysterious Tone. As she struggles to confine and banish it, the Tone grows larger and louder, drowning out her music. It’s only when Nuha stops fighting that she is able to discover a way to incorporate the Tone into her music and her life.

Quinceañero by Justin Floyd

Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship

Teenager Gabriel defies tradition and gender expectations to fulfill his dream of having his own quinceañeras celebration — against his father’s wishes.

The Resemblance by Derek Nguyen

Future Gold Film Fellowship with Gold House and Tribeca Studios

When a grieving couple go to a “rental family” agency to hire an actor to role-play their dead son, they discover that their evening of remembrance is more than they bargained for.

Ro & The Stardust by Eunice Levis

NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator

A free-spirited teen and her terminally ill grandmother build a rocket ship they plan to launch into outer space.

Un Adios Para Lilí by Lorena Durán

Latino Film Institute Inclusion Fellowship

When an electrical job goes wrong, a cynical electrician must accept help from a spirit to bury the evidence of a fatal accident.

(Source: Netflix)