(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Lighthouse International Film Festival presents "Best of The Fest," a program of eight critically acclaimed short films at the Princeton Garden Theatre on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 4:00pm.
This collection of independent films from around the world has been specially curated from the best entries of last year's LIFF competition, and is being screened in Princeton for one time only as a warmup to this year's festival, June 10-14 on Long Beach Island, NJ.
Tickets are available for purchase online. The Princeton Garden Theatre is located at 160 Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey.
"Best of the Fest" Lineup
MALKA - 16 min 22 sec. - dir. Stacey Maltin - USA. Malka, a Holocaust survivor, starts to see visions of her life at the camps during a present-day family seder. In order to survive this present moment, Malka must find the hope as she once had in the past. Director Stacey Maltin will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
TIGER - 12 min. 45 sec. - dir. Loren Waters - USA. Dana Tiger was just five years old when her father, the legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, passed away. As she grew she turned to her father's art as a way to know him, to learn the tribe's rich culture, and to preserve the bounty of her family's artistic tradition. In memory of Jerome's art, and to support their family, Dana's mother and uncle started a booming t-shirt printing business in the 1980s. Then, tragedy struck once more when Dana's younger brother, Chris Tiger, was tragically murdered. In the aftermath, their business faltered and faced ruin. But once again the family persisted, and working through immense grief and physical challenges, Dana and her family revitalized the iconic Tiger t-shirt brand. Today, demand for the iconic t-shirts has triumphantly returned. LIFF Jury Award for Best Documentary Short
RETIREMENT PLAN - 7 min. 17 sec. - dir. John Kelly - Ireland. Apathetic with life, Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) dreams of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement. A 2026 Oscar Nominee for Best Animated Short
UNPARALLEL WORLD - 22 min. 27 sec. - dir. Mohammed Yaraghi - Iran. Hana is a poor, motherless girl forced by her father to work as a peddler at a traffic light. She has a dream, but a tragic event sweeps away her hopes. Winner of the LIFF Jury Social Impact Award
RAVIE (Behind the Mask) - 19 min. 53 sec. - dir. Christophe Hamon - Réunion. Hoping to solve their personal problems, Paul and Samy plan a kidnapping. In the trunk of their vehicle, Adeline refuses to behave like the passive, silent hostage. When she manages to escape instead of running from her hapless kidnappers she re-negotiates the continuing terms of her abduction.
QUIET LIFE - 10 min. 58 sec. - dir. Ruth Pickett - UK. Geoffrey buries his phone and shuns technology in a mostly silent one-man rebellion against the modern world. After a bruising public breakup, Geoffrey (Luke Rollason) seeks a quiet life. But when potential new human connection comes knocking, Geoffrey is torn between the world he has created and the one he's left behind. Physical comedy and farce stumble into existential sadness in this comedy for a disconnected world. Winner of the 2025 BAFTA for Best Short Film
JUSTICE BROTHERS - 5 min. 20 sec. - dir. Kieran Hodges - UK. In Busua, Ghana, a group of young men who taught themselves to surf as children using wooden planks now extend their knowledge and skill to their community. Today, with their own surf school, they are empowering local girls, teaching them how to swim, surf, and embrace the ocean, rather than fear it. This short documentary captures this journey, showcasing the transformative impact of surfing, as well as the joy and freedom that comes with understanding nature and being with your people.
THE MISSING PEACE - 24 min. 20 sec. - dir. Michael Raymond-James - USA. A man desperately searches the desolate streets of Atlantic City looking for a missing loved one lost to the scourge of the opioid epidemic. He leads with a belief in humanity, fighting to keep an impossible hope alive. LIFF Jury Award Winner and Winner of the Florence Tone & Pete Vanderveen Award
