J. Damian Anastasio

Injustice begets a criminal. Kool is an artist without prospects, a black belt in karate, and in love with LaShawna, poised and college bound. One night she witnesses a stabbing and discovers the victim is a cop as he dies in her arms. She's jailed for murder by the infamous Ramparts Division of the LAPD. Kool wants to prove her innocence, and Tully, the cynical detective in charge, ignores LaShawna's case but uses Kool to break up an incipient crime operation. She's in danger because the guilty parties fear that the officer talked before he died. While in jail awaiting a hearing and legal help, she's beaten to death by a rogue cop. Kool vows revenge: the Hot Boyz are born.

Host Scott Forrest presents a curated compilation of eight independent short films in this rapid-fire science-fiction feature. Genres collide, narratives twist, aesthetics clash, and even humor, both campy and dystopian, showcase the vast creative possibilities of each story's individual world, offering the viewer a brief glimpse into the lives of every character's attempt to survive the otherworldly chaos around them. Released in 2001, the selected shorts span original creation dates of 1997 to 2001; most of the featured filmmakers also appear as themselves in short video interviews to talk about their inspirations, creative process and motivations while working on their individual shorts.

A film director gruelingly pushes a washed-up actress to her physical and mental breaking point to get the best performance of her career in this neo-noir short.

A woman's reunion with a romantic partner spurs a moment of reflection.

After exposing police corruption, a journalist is drawn into an underground world of violent vigilantism.

In 1985 an exorcist locked a demonic spirit inside a Ouija board. Now, when his grandson stumbles upon the board game, the evil is unleashed and free to torment those responsible for its banishment.

Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.