What at first glance may seem to be an eclectic group of short films, upon closer examination turns into a master class on the filmmaker-actor relationship.  From the two documentary shorts, “I Never Picked Cotton” and “Driven”, audiences are treated to superb first-person narratives in the non-fiction format: people whose personal stories are so perfectly wedded with the visual construct as to create a vital emotional veracity that speaks directly to the human condition, no matter the audience.  In the dramatic narratives “Nov 1”, “Romantica.com”, “Frontier” “Gefen” and “Moon Drops”, it is performance that leads story and each filmmaker has matched perfect actors with an exquisite and uniquely developed character. Of special note are the two outstanding female-directed films, “Cindy” and “Grey Zone”. As it is so often, there were far too few female-helmed stories available for consideration, but these two films spotlight the tremendous work of both female actors and directors who excel at telling their stories distinctively through the female gaze perspective.