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It’s July and a time to reflect on independence as we celebrate our 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence from the shackles of colonial England. And just in time for the Shawna Shea Film Festival, which returns to Worcester, July 16 to 18, Thursday through Saturday, at the Hilton Garden Inn.
A little reflection seems to show that we are living in an extreme period in history of “Us vs. Them” but that may not actually be true. There are plenty of examples throughout history when politics became identity. And this can be ideological or theological.
The French Revolution, The Civil War, The Russian Revolution, the initial rise of fascism, McCarthyism, The Troubles in Northern Ireland are just a few examples.
The Rwandan Genocide Is one of the most horrifying modern example of "Us vs. Them."
Years of propaganda gradually transformed neighbors into enemies which lead to genocide. This is an example of how sustained dehumanization can lead to mass violence.
Sound familiar?
This year’s Shawna Shea Film Festival looks to take this on. Just because of the accident of birth, the simple chance where someone is born, we cannot lose sight of our collective humanity. A citizen of any country does not mean they represent the decisions of their government. And here at the Shawna Foundation and SSFF, we've learned in a very big way that art transcends it all.
In our SSFF2026 International Shorts block this year block we attempt to show the common humanity we all share. We will screen incredible shorts from Israel, Palestine and Iran in that block that should not be missed.
We have “City Exterminator” by Christophe Karabache from Lebanon, one of our favorite filmmakers who constantly pushes the boundaries.
Our Patreon SSFF feature films include “Seems Like Love” by Yana Klimova-Yusupova from the Russian Federation; and “What We Dreamed of Then” by Taylor Olson; and the documentary “Baby Fever” by Nupur Chitalia & Pascale Potvin, both from Canada. These are all movies that speak to our times.
Many of you know about our long-running Women in Film Fellowship. This year, we will screen the World Premiere of “Manic,” a short film by the Shawna Foundation 2025 Women in Film Fellow Amelia Favata on Saturday July 18! She crafted a very cool horror short (our favorite genre!) with nods to our favorite Italian giallo films!
And we will be announcing our 2026 Women in Film Fellow at SSFF at our awards ceremony.
Switching gears big time, let’s straddle politics with some sexy fun. We’ll be screening a feature by S.D. (Stormy Daniels) Barrett, yes, that Stormy Daniels! Her horror feature “Wrecked” will screen 9 p.m. on Friday. You don’t want to miss this!
Check out the full schedule and ticket information right here! And, yes, tickets are still only $10!
https://www.shawnafoundation.org/ssff-film-festival
The Scandriglia Film Festival
Submissions are closed for the 2026 Scandriglia Film Festival. It will be a great day of international short films on October 10, 2026 in our home Italian village of Scandriglia. Since our first edition of this little gem of a festival, the submissions have grown incredibly. And we are grateful!
If anyone is up for the trip, and trust us, who wouldn’t be, keep an eye out for an upcoming newsletter with all of the info.
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