Named after the famous American Football play, Charlotte Glynn‘s short is set in 1972, during the iconic game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. The Immaculate Reception follows Joey, the middle of three brothers and a shy and quiet kid, but when his crush ends up at his house to watch the game, he must overcome his insecurities to win her over. Written and directed by Charlotte Glynn, The Immaculate Reception is the second in the The Pittsburgh Trilogy, opener Rachel Is is available now on Vimeo On Demand: www.vimeo.com/ondemand/34803

Based on a short piece of writing by Alain De Botton, Hannah Jacobs and Lara Lee‘s excellent little short examines our existence, alone and in love. Backed by an excellent Tom Rosenthal score, The Darkest Truth About Love tells some uncomfortable truths about falling for your love, whether you believe them, however, or instead let your romantic side take over, is up to you. The short is beautifully hand-illustrated and animated frame-by-frame.

Featuring over 1,000 cups of latte art, Japanese coffee makers Maxim Stick’s extraordinary and adorable short Coffee Couple tells the story of boy-meet-girl, falling in love and growing old together. With an espresso cup playing their child and other funny jokes in the story, the short has a supreme attention to detail and super stop motion animation, effortlessly turning cocoa-dusted coffees into living, breathing characters. Check out some behind the scenes shots and a making-of video on Latte Vacation’s website: http://latte-vacation.agf.jp/lattemotion/

Starring Joel Nagle and Kathleen Wise, offbeat short Palimpsest follows a successful house tuner who provides clients with a bizarre form of therapy. Visiting houses to fine tune their living space, Michael Tyburski’s film was co-written by producer Ben Nabors and is a bizarre yet captivating short about the little quirks that make us tick. Beautifully shot by Todd Banhazl, the visual style of the film really sets the tone from the start.

The final year film for Supinfocom Arles graduates Pierre Clenet, Alejandro Diaz, Romain Mazevet and Stéphane Paccolat, Home Sweet Home follows an adventurous little house that gets up off its foundations and sets off on a grand journey into the unknown. Reminiscent of the Pixar classic, Up, Home Sweet Home is a charming and adorable short about an unexpected protagonist. Selected for numerous film festivals around the world, hopefully there’s more to come from the talented filmmakers in the future.

Telling the story of Joe Leisner, owner of Queens comic book store, Comic Book Heaven, E.J. McLeavey-Fisher‘s documentary is an emotional and engaging tale about a man who has dedicated his life to the industry. Talking about what he thinks killed the comic book business, be it technology, video games, or the greed of the people running the likes of Marvel and DC, now into his 80s, Joe bears down on his final few months running the store before calling it a day and enjoying his long-overdue retirement. Find out more about the short at: www.cbhmovie.com