GRRL HAUS CINEMA x SIFF Presents NeuroCinema: Shorts by Neurodiverse Artists or Exploring Neurodiversity

GRRL HAUS CINEMA X SIFF presents NeuroCinema: Shorts by neurodiverse artists or exploring neurodiversity

June 8, 2025

With films spanning experimental, documentary, and narrative styles, NeuroCinema explores themes of identity, memory, perception, and sensory processing, offering personal and nuanced perspectives on the lived experiences of neurodiverse individuals.

Tickets: $20 | $17 Member

Tickets

Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

SIFF Film Center

6:30 PM

International film festival GRRL HAUS CINEMA returns to SIFF with short films centering the works of women, trans, non-binary, and genderqueer filmmakers from all over the globe. With works ranging from animation, experimental, genre, and music video, there is something for everyone at GRRL HAUS.

THE LINEUP

Gillyfish

Sarah Sellman
11 min, Ireland

When GILLIAN takes on her partner’s identity to confront their father, she finds a connection she didn't expect in the strange exchange she has with him. A short about healing by proxy, and stepping into new identities.

Two One Two

Shira Avni
4 min, Canada

Two One Two combines shimmering clay on glass animation with personal archives in this deeply intimate, experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere.

Camille à corps perdu

Alice Dontenwille
19 min, France

Paris, July 1892. After her breakup with Auguste Rodin, sculptor Camille Claudel lives isolated in her workshop. One night, as her grief becomes spite then hatred, Camille’s sculptures come alive and drag her into a hellish dance—to unleash her from Rodin’s poisoned stranglehold, or to bring her to the brink of madness?

planten met stekels of doorns

Janne Elens
4 min, Belgium

planten met stekels of doorns (plants with spikes or thorns) is an experimental short film about sensory seeking behaviour in childhood; both through pleasure and pain. This film was made during the last teenage years of the maker, and serves as an attempt to recover lost memories of neurodivergence during childhood.

Endocast: A Non-Linear Memoir*

Efrem Hawk
19 min, United States

*Endocast: A Non-Linear Memoir contains themes of relationship abuse and suicidal ideation. This film may be triggering or distressing for those affected by these topics.

A video memoir made up of personal cell phone videos and photos, photographs, postcards, letters, handy cam footage, and other ephemera of the artist. Inspired by the artist's experience living with short-term-memory-loss the narrative of the film is fragmented, and slightly degraded. It's up to the viewer to put the pieces together.

Dear Ceiling

Sarah Legow
2 min, Portugal

A love letter from the floor to the ceiling spelled out in silent, stop-motion text, Dear Ceiling, takes as its starting point the rejection of a human-centered vision of the world.

Planet Abundance

Emma Bowen
5 min, Scotland

This short film documents a series of artist-led local workshops, which took place at Category Is Books. Participants were encouraged to collectively imagine a world led by women, where Earthlings had adopted a feminist abundance mind-set.

escapegoat

Noa Sepharia
6 min, United States

This experimental short is a haunting portrait of a society in decay. The directorial debut of Noa Sepharia, escapegoat is a non-narrative exploration of abandonment and dehumanization. It is a reflection of her experience in being categorized as mad.

Talking Heads

Nicole Overbaugh
8 min, United States

Talking Heads is a narrative short that follows new roommates, Arthur and Corey, as they settle into their new apartment.

Sorry for Staring at Me

Hanie Ali Hemmati
5 min, Iran

This self-portrait film follows the director, referred to as X, as her friend speaks on her behalf. X shares her struggles with social anxiety, narrating her feelings in various situations and inviting viewers on a deep, personal journey.

Growing Eyes Out Of Your Spine

Janella Mele
2 min, United States

A short film about Janella Mele's live self tattoo performance at Boston Cyberarts gallery which incorporates animated elements of the performance in post production with an original poem. In collaboration with VHF Studio.

Rabbit

Jessica Mackie-Hunter and David Kreibich
8 min, United Kingdom

Willow is young, ambitious, and knows what she wants - but it isn’t going to come cheap. Working multiple jobs and taking on extra shifts, Willow doggedly saves every penny. As different men cross her path, they try in their own ways to woo her and draw her into their worlds. But despite their charms and good-looks, Willow finds herself disconnected and withdrawing from their advances.

About GRRL HAUS CINEMA

GRRL HAUS CINEMA is a Nonprofit film festival, screening series, and collective dedicated to promoting the works of women, trans, non-binary, and genderqueer filmmakers in the realms of experimental, low-budget, and underground cinema. Their emphasis on low budget and DIY culture creates a space for underrepresented voices in cinema to be heard by promoting creativity and diversity of expression through film.

Diverging from traditional film festivals, GRRL HAUS adopts a dynamic model, hosting multiple events throughout the year to consistently showcase high-quality short films crafted by women, non-binary, genderqueer, and trans individuals for a global audience.