Join us for the Second Annual FBA Zine Fest, a six-hour marketplace of independent publishing, creativity, and connection. Discover and purchase zines—small, self-published booklets that showcase everything from comics and illustration to personal stories and visual experiments.

Bring cash! Many makers also accept Venmo and PayPal. Admission is to the fest is free and open to the public.

Come browse work by independent artists, writers, and illustrators—and take home something unexpected in print.

Director: G. Chesler

Documentary Feature with Captions in English

United States

Duration: 01:25:00

Connection | Isolation presents eight intimate portraits of trans and post-gender individuals navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst moments of connection and isolation, these participants reveal a deepening awareness of gender, their bodies, and trans community. Created by an all trans and queer crew, this hybrid documentary film interlaces portraits with reenactments, integrating archival material documenting what so many experienced and many still do.

Connection | Isolation invites viewers to witness the strength of connection as an act of resistance, offering care in the face of crisis, and using reflection as a path toward healing.

Director: Sarah Carlot Jaber

Belgium

Narrative Short with Captions in English

22:08

Olga, a music-loving octogenarian, is tired of killing humans. Could it be the vampire blues? For her daughter Simone, she’s just being picky! Olga is placed in a care home where she can deal with those “who have one foot in the grave”...

Director: Sydney Violet Gray

Horror, Dark Comedy, Surrealist in English

United States

13:19

A Trans girl moves into an apartment with two cis roommates who go to brutal measures to push her out.

Director’s Note:
Stagmite is a reflection of my personal fears and social dysphoria associated with being around cis girls, which manifested as nightmares I had shortly before I was about to room in a dorm with cis girls in college.

Content Note:
This film contains depictions of violence against a Trans character and may be distressing for some viewers. Created by a Trans filmmaker, it explores themes of Trans experience, fear, and exclusion through horror and dark comedy. Viewer discretion is advised.

Director: Venus Pastel

Experimental, Mockumentary with Captions in English

Ireland

19:59

“Daisy: Preacher of the Apocalypse” is a mockumentary/experimental film that follows a radical Trans preacher and her cult following. After an encounter with a queer goddess atop a mountain, Daisy embarks on a journey to prophesy the end of the world, and save as many people as she can. She promises salvation for those who denounce heterosexuality, resulting in their ultimate rebirth as monsters in the New Queer World.

Director: Jennifer Marie

Comedy, Social Commentary in English

U.S.A.

10:43

Jan Snyder is energetic, helpful, and in love with black culture and hip-hop. She works her dream job at a record label as the Director of A&R’s assistant. Jan knows music, but she can sometimes get too comfortable with her co-workers, especially when it comes to her black co-workers. Jan crosses the line on accident with her new boss Makeba and is at risk of losing her new promotion.

FDirector: DONIKA GASHI

Documentary with Captions in English

Switzerland

24:25

Currently, my dog is not present in my life, which has left me feeling emotionally distressed due to the void it has created. Consequently, I have made the decision to engage with other beings, both human and canine, in order to observe their dynamics of love and attachment. This pursuit will continue until the time when I am reunited with my beloved dog.

Director: Kirthi Nath

Documentary with Captions in English

United States

23:45 

Part poetry, part memoir-style reflection and part prayer, PARAMITA bears witness to Prajna Paramita Choudhury’s 25-year coming out process with her traditional Bangladeshi mother. Told with intimacy, tenderness and a quiet power, PARAMITA invites us into a meditative spiritual experience as Prajna connects with Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.

Director: Caitlin Williams

Documentary in English

United States

27:00

With an introduction by Anne Lamb, mother of Adrianna

In a poignant tale of love, loss, and resilience, a mother recounts her enduring bond with a dedicated military officer under the shadows of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," as they navigate life's challenges and the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan.

Director: Kalima Young

Documentary in English

United States

21:34

An intimate documentary short exploring the ancestral survival strategies Black women use to navigate and fully live in a world that is hostile to Black female life.

Director: Robyn Tomiko

Documentary in English

United States

17:30

A personal story about Japanese American experience that speaks to the muddled facets of immigrant identity.

Director: Hallie Harper

Documentary

United States

15:41

Three women with different backgrounds and perspectives meet in Denton, TX to discuss their thoughts on the controversial subject of abortion in contemporary Texas and the wider US and the nuance behind its history.

Director: Carmen Vidal

Documentary

Paraguay

28:00

In Paraguay, a country where homophobia, violence, and discrimination against transgender people are unfortunately all too common, there is a unique refuge: Casa Diversa. This haven is a symbol of hope and dignity for all people, regardless of their gender identity.

Director: Yixin Sun

Animation

Australia

3:16

This 2D experimental animation depicts a planet with reproductive functions, exploring the transformations associated with pregnancy and childbirth. By portraying these changes on both a psychological and physical level, the animation aims to highlight the impact of reproductive trauma and advocate for greater societal awareness and compassionate care.

Director: Ida Thronæs Rotli

Animation

Norway

3:47

We meet a young woman with tousled hair and sleepy eyes, who goes through her daily morning routine check in the mirror. She notices a thin long hair on her chin and tries to pluck it. To her great dislike, the hair stretches out and becomes longer instead of yielding to the tweezers. She becomes more and more desperate, and resorts to stronger and stronger tools, but the hair remains stubbornly stuck, and grows longer for each attempt to remove it. But after a moment of dark hopelessness, she gets a brilliant idea.

Director: Chelsea DeMott Wildey

Animation

United States

3:15 

An ax murderer hiding in a woman's car gets more than he bargained for on his victim's commute home.

Director: Diana-Sofia Estrada

Animation

United States

3:00

“ixchel/abuelita" serves as a heritage testament to feminine power, expressing itself through the examination of rituals. A mixture of live footage and animation, this digital video is a reflection on the artist's Guatemalan grandmother, Abuelita, as the goddess Ixchel. It highlights the enduring impact of feminine power, encouraging modern viewers to appreciate and draw inspiration from the artist's cultural foundations expressed via family memorabilia and dresses made by her grandmother.

Director: Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore

Animation

Canada

2:15

The Clay She Is Made Of draws parallels between the profound strength and creativity of Sky Woman from the Haudenosaunee creation story and the filmmaker's mother. This two-minute animated and live-action film is narrated all in Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk).

Director: Cheri Gaulke

Animation, Documentary

United States

8:02

Feminist scholar, Susan Rennie, seizes her iPhone and sneaks her queer, octogenarian body into master works of art, disrupting the narrative of the male gaze.

This 8-minute film focuses on a gallery showcase of Susan Rennie's delightful art with unfiltered commentary from the artist, as well as words from exhibition curator Kirsten Grimstad.

When Rennie retired from academia, she returned to her first love – photography. With humor and wit, Rennie’s photographic interventions offer a feminist critique of the conventional canon of art history, and an unabashed embrace of her elder, queer identity. The results are juicy, eye-opening, and often hilarious.

Director: Geraldine Charpentier

Animation with Captions in English

Belgium

12:15

On the phone, there is Camille. She tries to find what unites her with Johane, who listens to her messages, somewhere in Brussels. If they still love each other, could they find each other again?

Director: Zahra Azadpour

Animation

Iran

6:01 

The story is about a young couple who seem to have a peaceful life, but their relationship has deep problems. The woman suffers from a one-sided emotional relationship and makes the last effort to improve it, but he ignores her feelings, has sex with her and treats her like a servant. She becomes disappointed and depressed. He believes that he is a feminist and a defender of women’s rights. He criticizes physical violence and participates in the international Day of Violence against Women.

Director: Carol-Ann Belzil-Normand

Animation

Canada

4:57

Pic Pic is an experimental animated film that metaphorically and conceptually reveals an erotic and exhilarating dimension of touching.

This experimental mixed media animated film directed by the two filmmakers shows two realities on how to see and experience the state of being woman. Is it possible to experience both sides of the situation at the same time?

Director: April Zapata

Experimental, Animation

Mexico, United States

3:34

The Jaguar and The Border Echoes is a video that delves into the interconnected narratives of human migration and the endangered Jaguar, amidst the challenges posed by the man-made structures of the US-Mexico wall.

Within the realm of uncertainty, the video unfolds, where a lost and trapped human figure battles against the constraints of a monochrome world. As the video progresses, ephemeral flashes of reality erupt, revealing transformative moments where the human figure metamorphoses into a Jaguar.

Director: Homa Sarabi

Experimental, Handmade Film

United States

7:34

Tan/Vatan (Body/Homeland) is a collaborative experimental film. It is a conversation between two women and their intimate experiences of love and life. The film embodies a symbolic form borrowed from the origin cultures of the artists, in India and Iran. Tan and Vatan are mutual words in Hindi and Persian language, sharing the same meaning and pronunciation. Artists utilize the language, the medium, and their bodies to connect and visualize their experiences while engaging with the mechanical and physical experience of 16mm and handmade film.

Director: Laura Iancu

Experimental Video Form, Documentary

Romania, United States

7:00

Hollowgram conjures varicolored clusters of swirling images and sounds from places real and imagined as if looking through a flip book in a dream. Narratively the film pilots the tension between the desire to share memories and possibilities with another and the failure of the attempt. Conceptually layered over, a defiant authorial selfhood responds to the outside interrogations that punch in, “Who do you think you are?”.

Director: Sarah Beeby

Animation

United Kingdom

13:54

In the aftermath of sexual assault, a woman retreats into the garden of her mind. Searching for answers and struggling to do 'the right thing', she realizes that she must regain her voice and find new paths to healing, before she and her garden are destroyed completely.

Director: Cecilia Reeve

Animation

United Kingdom

4:00

In a dreamlike narrative, a woman takes a bath and reflects upon her past experiences; submerged in the water she enters a space out of time. It is an existentialist film questioning the boundaries the between body and the outside world, between water and skin.

Using traditional frame by frame animation, Cecilia combines paint on glass, gouache and digital animation to create a tactile and intimate film.

Director: Matea Kovač

Animation

Croatia

6:33

An empty paper depicts a struggle between artistic composition and decomposition as the voice of the narrator-protagonist reminisces about her tumultuous relationship with a former girlfriend.

Director: Anna Lisa Padilla

Narrative Short

United States

13:23

A young woman struggles to learn Spanish in order to reconnect with her immigrant grandfather, but when life gets in the way, she learns that love transcends language.

Director: Lai Na Cheng

Documentary in English

United States

9:07

This film is a love-letter from me to my family, capturing the heart-wrenching stories of undocumented immigrant families torn apart by borders, fighting to stay connected despite the overwhelming challenges of distance, fear and uncertainty. This is a short documentary to heal and connect the undocumented immigrant community.

Director: Jose Luis Benavides

Documentary

United States

10:57 

In this experimental documentary short, the filmmaker's mother, Lulu, accounts her struggles as a Latina lesbian and single parent in Chicago during the 1980s. Alongside footage of the Chicago Latina lesbian organization, Amigas Latinas, and other Cable TV broadcasts of the Latina lesbian community, we get a rare glimpse into the political concerns and moments of joy of a resilient people, montaged with scenes of neon-lit 1990's house music, and other scenes of queer familia.

Director: Janet Chen Ma

Documentary with Captions in English

United States

16:36

After generations of cultural silence, years of pandemic anxiety, and one anti-Asian hate crime, queer filmmaker Janet takes her retired single mom Diana on a mental health discovery road trip. Along the way, they spill the tea about their own family history, and start the journey to healing.

Director: Aaliyah Maria-Yasmeen Galwey

Documentary with Captions in English

United States

54:24

This documentary highlights, documents, and celebrates Black women, focusing on their journeys, life lessons, and advice. The film aims to inspire young Black girls and gender-expansive youth by showcasing the strength, resilience, and wisdom of those who have paved the way. With the intent to uplift and empower, the documentary encourages these young individuals to keep going, despite the obstacles they may face.

Creator: Cassils 
Director: PJ Raval

Performance Short with no Dialogue

USA

13:00

Movement II: Half Life silhouettes bodies performing rites of life and death against the shimmering dunes of White Sands National Park.

The evaporation of the park’s water tables due to climate disaster has revealed fossilized human footprints that date back 23,000 years, making these tracks among the oldest forensic evidence of humans in the Americas. This confirms Indigenous knowledge that the minerals remember: the land perpetually rewrites itself in the longest act of memory. Cassils’s situating of Trans* dancers in this landscape unearths these complex histories of land, place, and population, prompting viewers to interrogate why certain bodies and terrains are protected while others are sacrificed.

Cassils is a Trans* visual artist working in performance, film, sculpture, and photography. Known for using their body as both material and site of resistance, Cassils creates artworks that confront histories of violence, representation, and erasure. Their work has been exhibited internationally and is part of numerous major collections.

This recorded interview offers a conversation with artist Cassils about the making of the film, its engagement with land, history, and embodiment, and the politics of visibility and erasure. The discussion features Cassils in conversation with Marisa Sage (Director, University Art Museum), Dr. Laura Anh Williams (FBA Co-Director), and Dr. M. Catherine Jonet (FBA Founding Director).

Click to Read: Filmed in the striking and historically charged landscape of White Sands National Park, “Movement II (Half Life)” is the second installment in Cassils’s Movements trilogy. It is a cinematic and choreographic performance that explores Trans* embodiment, collective ritual, and the complexities of mourning and continuation.

In this live presentation, writer, illustrator, podcaster, and educator Nicole J. Georges shares her journey from teen zinester to acclaimed graphic memoirist. Through works like Calling Dr. Laura and Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home, Georges explores identity, family secrets, queer community, and self-invention with humor, vulnerability, and sharp insight.

A longtime advocate of independent publishing, Georges has built a body of work rooted in DIY ethics, zine culture, and personal storytelling. She teaches in the MFA in Comics Program at California College of the Arts, hosts the podcast Sagittarian Matters, and co-hosts The Gaymazing Race with Karen Tongson. This presentation offers a glimpse into the radical potential of drawing one’s life and teaching others to do the same.