Lady Puritan
Filmmakers Gustine Füdickar and Justin Streichman‘s DWF LA 2026 short film Lady Puritan will blow your mind. The story follows Meredith, a woman experiencing intense nightmares and excruciating physical pain. Upon the recommendation of a spiritual guide, Meredith undergoes a reckoning of past, present, and future.
Streichman’s editing is a wonder. A hallucinatory journey that makes sense even when it shouldn’t. The close-up work of flora is creepily unnerving. It immediately draws the eye to the smallest bits of decay. The unsettling nature of the film, no pun intended, ramps up tenfold from there.
Visually stunning, Füdickar and Streichman tease audiences with what must be a nod to Andrew Wyeth‘s 1948 painting, Christina’s World. If you know anything about art, the choice is simply brilliant. Throughout the film, particularly in the opening and closing credits, there are microscopic slides of what appear to be butterfly wings, adding an entirely new level of metaphor and a metamorphosis angle. Regardless of their specifics, the impact is astounding.
Füdickar’s physical work is exquisite, between fear, wrath, manic energy, and acceptance. You cannot walk away unchanged by this performance. All the building blocks are there for a feature. Lady Puritan is truly haunting. It manages to land squarely between terror and sensuality. It is a visual personification of feminine rage and generational trauma. For any audience member embracing their witchy era, this short will have you shaking with excitement.
Lady Puritan Dances with Films Site
WRITERS/DIRS: Gustine Füdickar & Justin Streichman
PROD: Justin Streichman
CAST: Gustine Füdickar, Dorothy Dubrule, Stacy Dawson Stearns
As dream life bleeds into waking reality, a woman haunted by her Puritan ancestor must confront the terror buried deep within her bloodline. Through ritual and violent trial of the body, she fractures the veil between worlds and is thrown into a fight for her life. Lady Puritan is a surreal psychological meditation on ancestral trauma and the intimate horror of what we are born carrying. Set against the shadow of American Puritanism, the film explores the tension between repression and embodied desire.
WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS FLASHING IMAGES THAT MAY CAUSE DISCOMFORT OR TRIGGER SEIZURES FOR PEOPLE WITH PHOTOSENSITIVITY.
Remaining Tribeca screenings of General Admissions:
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Shane West, heartthrob to a generation of women like me thanks to A Walk To Remember, still exudes an effortless charm that leaps off the screen. As Jared, he taps into a terrifying rage. Morgan Kohan gives Claire every bit of herself. It’s the arc we die for. Bravo to Zelda Williams for playing Jared’s human counterpart (more of her, please), and to director Alexander DeSouza and Ashley Brandon for the seamless editing. Magali Lafeur nails the production design.![Morgan Kohan in HOLO_[JULIAN LOMAGA]_5](https://i0.wp.com/reelnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Morgan-Kohan-in-HOLO_JULIAN-LOMAGA_5-scaled.jpg?resize=678%2C367&ssl=1)
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SXSW 2026 Watchlist
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A father wishes to compliment the chef for his signature dish, only to discover that an actual shrimp is responsible for the deliciousness. In this mockumentary-style short, The Shrimp insinuates that his entire schtick was stolen by the Disney rat. The two then compete on a food competition reality show. The producers secretly chat with the man under The Shrimp, Chef Dave. Shrimp is a foul-mouthed asshole, for lack of a better word. Shenanigans ensue, confessions reveal themselves, and insults fly.
There are multiple Shrimp puppet creations. The smaller version sits on Yung’s head, and a larger-scale handheld puppet fills the screen for the sit-down interviews. The detail is award-worthy. Puppeteers Benjamin Fieschi-Rose, Kirsten Brass, and Amelia Blaine are spectacular.
For all things Fantasia, 
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Caitlin Acken Taylor is everything. Mia Sunshine Jones is no easy role, but Taylor lives it. She even creates Mia’s paintings and sculptures. Her fourth wall break, and the precise moment at which it occurs, is jarring and genius. 
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Writer/director Addison Heinmann follows up his 2022 Fantasia hit 
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Desperate to avenge her daughter’s murder, Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) journeys through parallel dimensions to repeatedly track down and annihilate her killer (Jeremy Holm). A tense sci-fi vengeance thriller unlike any other, REDUX REDUX is the latest creation by Kevin and Matthew McManus, the Peabody award-winning writers and producers of AMERICAN VANDAL and COBRA KAI, and writers/directors of FUNERAL KINGS (Fantasia 2012) and THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND (Fantasia 2020). Official Selection: SXSW 2025. Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival 2025. 
For her debut feature film, FOREIGNER, Ava Maria Safai (Zip) expertly harnesses the power of identity, social acceptance, horror, and comedy. It’s 2004, and Iranian immigrant Yasamin, or Yasi, is the new girl. Her high school experience is daunting, as she tries to improve her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who feed Yasi’s need to fit in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hair blonde and, in doing so, also attracts a demonic force. With a fun retro setting, great performances by Rose Dehgan as Yasi, Chloë MacLeod as the creepy high school “Queen Bee” Rachel, and a blend of our favorite teen horrors, FOREIGNER takes up space as a new entry to “bubblegum horror,” bringing a fresh narrative to the Canadian immigrant experience. The film has been referred to by some as Mean Girls meets The Exorcist and Ava is definitely a young director to watch. 
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THE MOOGAI
Barely tolerating her birthmother, Ruth, Sarah’s whitewashed existence comes to a halt when an ancient entity rears its ugly head. Sarah’s aggression heightens as her delusions increase. She quickly spirals out of control in every aspect of her life. Sarah’s husband, Fergus, embraces his culture and does his best to navigate his familial deterioration.
The break between Sarah and her first child, Chloe, is heartbreaking. There’s no denying her resemblance to Fergus has something to do with Sarah’s icy response. The connection between Chloe, Fergus, and Ruth burns Sarah’s limited understanding of her absent culture. Ruth tries her best to protect her family, but Sarah’s relentless resistance to her roots only makes them manifest quicker as lore becomes reality and history repeats itself.
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Credits
Alicia Blasingame is a superb foil for her onscreen rival. There is a comfort level that makes you buy into Aura from the moment you see her. Rosemary Hochschild is magnificent in her final film role as Gladys. Her fearless performance sends chills down your spine, then giggling with delight. What a pleasure to witness this level of talent.
WHITCH subconsciously makes fun of women who call themselves witches, but in reality, they love the ideas and decor, not the literary canon. Would I adore a feature-length version? The answer is a resounding YES. Do I also believe it is delicious in its current form? It has undoubtedly cast a spell on me.
Tragedy follows a family of creatives. Dana Tiger‘s artist father was the creator of the
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