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GRRL HAUS CINEMA
Suspense, Horror, and Camp! 8 Short Films
At THE BRATTLE THEATRE | Thursday, Dec 4 | 8 PM Beach-O: Leah Smith, Karen Lawler Water Dog: Christina Kelly Holmes 11:11: Sophia Gordon Mondegreen: Linda Mai Green A Witch in the Woods: Karuna H. Prasad Attack of the Coat: Lola-Rose Maxwell Plant Moms: Kayla Lane Freeman Interference: Lila Woodbridge |
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Beach-O
Leah Smith and Karen Lawler 11:00 An homage to the campy beach movies of the 1960s, set within a late 90s time capsule, Beach-O is a rockin’ retro romp. This 16mm film follows Greg and Lesley as they enjoy a summer’s day at the beach. After they befriend a gang of local partiers, their day takes an unexpected turn when everyone gets hungry… This long awaited music centric film (shot in 1998, and finally completed in 2024) features performances by DC and Boston indie rock legends The Make-Up, Victory At Sea, and The Wicked Farleys. Leah Smith is a filmmaker based in Austin, TX. With a foundation in experimental filmmaking, she has created rhythmic live action pieces like “Jump” (super 8), and also co-wrote and directed the music centric short “Beach-O” (16mm). She is the co-author of the book Dirt Cheap, Real Good: A Highway Guide to Thrift Stores in the Washington DC Area (2004 Capital Books). After moving to Austin in 2005, Leah opened a shop and gallery space, called The Opera House, where she promoted and contributed to the local underground art and music scenes. Nowadays she has returned to her roots in filmmaking, striving to make films cheaply that she can create in her living room. She uses stop-motion animation techniques as seen in “Quilt” and “Cat Picnic/Flower Picnic”. Her future plans include alter ego Infinite Fontaine’s (Instagram @Infinite_fontaine) comedic experiments with paper cut-out animation and to eventually develop a short animated series. Karen Lawler is a versatile filmmaker, producer, and artist. She has produced over 50 commercials for major global brands, working collaboratively with production companies, advertising agencies and direct-to-client. She is currently the Director of Production at Hornet, a design studio and commercial production company. Her films have been showcased at prestigious international festivals and venues including the Melbourne International Film Festival, Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, Split Film Festival in Croatia, Darklight Festival in Dublin, Anchorage International Film Festival, New Zealand Film Archive and Anthology Film Archive. Her short film Dress Up earned Best Narrative at DIGIt 2006 and was released by Cinequest Distribution in November 2006. Karen’s multimedia installations have been featured at notable performance venues such as the Interferences Biennale, The Kitchen in New York, and Le Lieu Unique in Nantes, France. She also founded EXchange, a short film showcase that traveled across twelve cities in ten countries, from Accra, Ghana to Guadalajara, Mexico from 1999 to 2004. |
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Water Dog
Christina Kelly Holmes 10:52 A disillusioned millennial man bumps into an old classmate and meets his new wife – but there's something off about her. Questioning his sanity, the man brings his girlfriend to dinner with the couple. Christina Kelly Holmes is a 2020 graduate of the screenwriting program at The American Film Institute Conservatory and the 2020 recipient of the Russo Brothers' AGBO/AFI Development Grant and the 2021 AFI Writers' Room Ready Award. Her identity as a first-generation Romanian and mixed-race woman, and her experiences as a third-culture kid, influence her storytelling. Christina was born in New Jersey, raised in London, and received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Colorado College. After working as a strategist for various startups in the tech industry, she redirected her career toward writing. She was most recently a Writers Assitant on Amazon's CITADEL and teaches screenwriting at Chaffey College. Christina's short film WATER DOG was completed in May 2024 and is currently in submission for festival consideration. It is based on her short story by the same name published in Bloodletter Magazine in March 2024. |
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11:11
Sophia Gordon 1:58 A study on synchronicities and phenomena of high strangeness, "11:11" examines the connections between initiation, ritual, and the universal sequences surrounding us. Pushing the boundaries of technology, Sophia Gordon’s work spans a variety of mediums, including video, performance, installation, music, animation, and illustration. Glitch art and circuit bending, as well as the compatibility of old and new technologies, are prominent features within her practice. Her projects primarily focus on mental health, concepts of cybernetics, and chaos magick. Sophia graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Film and Television Production. There, she discovered she was a video artist. Over the last nine years, she has developed a style that combines lo-fi tape formats, circuit bending, and television broadcasting techniques. Currently residing in the Greater Nashville Area, Sophia continues to bring her aesthetics to new mediums and genres. She is the founder and operator of the experimental broadcasting company TeleUphoria Media Network, where she curates two themed channels (Miller’s Grove Public Access and Channel 43). She is also a member of the transgressive art collective Trance//Furnace. |
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Mondegreen
Linda Mai Green 21:31 While on a rural retreat, a sound artist becomes obsessed with eerie sounds in her recordings—until a conspiracy theorist warns that she’s provoking dangerous paranormal forces. As she delves deeper into deciphering their meaning, she confuses discovery and delusion. Linda Mai Green is a writer/director based in San Francisco, California. Drawing on her background in art history, literature, and her biracial Vietnamese identity, Linda’s films investigate the psyches of women in surreal, visually striking worlds. She is a 2024/2025 SFFilm Filmhouse Resident, an alum of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival Filmmaker Residency, and she has been a recipient of grants from The Redford Center and mentorships with Unlock Her Potential and #startwith8hollywood. She has a BA from Stanford in German literature and an MA in Art History from NYU. |
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A Witch in the Woods
Karuna Prasad 5:41 Set during the Salem Witch Trials in 17th century Massachusetts, a woman is accused of witchcraft while facing a challenging decision leading to unforeseen consequences. Inspired by the story of Mary Bliss Parsons. Karuna Prasad (she/they) is a South Asian, queer and BIPOC experimental filmmaker and artist. She holds a degree in film, media, and theater from Mount Holyoke College and grew up in Ithaca, NY. Her work seeks to reinterpret historical narratives—primarily those of women, genderqueer, and BIPOC individuals—bringing overlooked stories to light and offering unique perspectives on them. When not filming, Karuna enjoys watching international films at a local independent movie theater, spending time with her family, hiking, and being in nature. |
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Plant Moms
Kayla Lane Freeman 8:02 A lonely woman accepts an invitation to a plant propagation party where she learns her neighbors are stranger than she could have imagined. Kayla Lane Freeman is an Austin filmmaker who loves telling stories about freaky, strange and unruly women. She has a B.S. in Radio-TV-Film from UT Austin and has worked on set, in post-production or as an impact producer for Sundance Channel, Kartemquin Films, Texas Freedom Network and indie filmmakers. Kayla has also worked with corporate clients including Buffalo Wild Wings, American Red Cross, Yum Foods, and AbbVie Pharmaceuticals as a Content Producer of educational multimedia. Kayla is the writer/director of Plant Moms, a dark comedy short film that premiered at Fantastic Fest 2025. Plant Moms was the recipient of production and post-production grants from Austin Film Society in 2023 & 2024, respectively. Kayla's film directorial debut, The NDE, was an official selection for the Austin Lift-Off Film Festival, Dark Comedy Film Festival, Lysistrata Comedy Festival and the ATX Short Film Showcase, where it was also screened as part of the 2023 “Best of the Year” comedy program. |
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ATTACK OF THE COAT
Lola-Rose Maxwell 14:06 A woman gets possessed by a coat. Lola-Rose Maxwell is an actor, writer and director from Croydon. Unconventionally for a Brit, she started her career doing long-form improv and has grown to be one of the most sought-after improvisers in the UK. Lola-Rose is probably most well known for her viral sketches with Stevie Martin, which have amassed over 45 million views across social media. The duo now direct commercials under the guise NOT A ROBOT and continue to create original comedy content. In 2025, Lola-Rose directed her own short film Attack of the Coat and a zero budget micro short 'Ident'. Acting wise she is probably best recognised for her role as Sarah in all three seasons of the critically acclaimed BBC/HBO comedy Starstruck but has also appeared on The Now Show, Doctors and upcoming feature film Mother's Pride. Writing wise Lola-Rose has contributed sketches to BBC Radio 4, two episodes of Channel 4’s Rude Tube, and multiple short films including Office Manager. She has also written a horror feature called SALT PIG about a lonely cannibal chef with daddy issues. |
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Interference
Lila Woodbridge 25:55 "Interference" tells the story of one teenage boy’s struggle with paranoia and identity amidst the start of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. Lila Woodbridge is a filmmaker from Southcoast Massachusetts, now based in New York City. With a double major in film and psychology, her work as a filmmaker is equally rooted in the academic and artistic study of the human psyche. Her work often explores themes of queer relationships and identity, embracing darkness and surrealism to challenge conventional queer narratives. “Interference” is her first major project since graduating from college. Lila works professionally as a freelance commercial video editor in NYC. |
