Short Attention Span Cinema: StoryCorps Stories that Connect Us
Friday, September 5, 2025 - Thursday, January 1, 2026
As part of our ongoing Short Attention Span Cinema program, IFC Center is proud to share a collection of shorts from StoryCorps before our regular feature presentations.
From first dates to lifelong love, sibling bonds to friendships that sparked change, these stories show the many ways our lives intertwine. Each one is a reminder that connection—whether found in family, community, or chance encounters—can leave lasting marks on who we are. Together, they celebrate love, courage, and the joy of being part of one another’s stories.
9/5-9/11: WILD IN LOVE (2:34 min) | It was 1954 when Jackie and Bud Jones went on their first date. Bud Jones was a taxidermist who started his business when he was a teenager in Tallapoosa, Georgia. When Jackie sat in Bud’s car, she quickly discovered that she was in for a wild ride with Bud. At StoryCorps, they shared the story of how the early adventures in their romance led to a lifelong partnership.
9/12-9/18: A GEM OF A GUY (3:24 min) | Rob Rigano always loved vehicles — and the thrill of sneakily rolling a car down the driveway as a child. So when StoryCorps’ Airstream trailer stopped in San Diego, his older brother, Phil, knew it was the perfect place to take him. The brothers traveled down memory lane, laughing about high jinks from their childhood and celebrating Rob as a brother and figure in his community.
9/19-9/25: SHADES OF LOVE (2:28 min) | Cheri Lindsay and her father Phillip both have a rare skin condition called vitiligo. They gradually lose pigment in their skin, often in patches that can grow over time. Cheri always remembers her dad having vitiligo. In this animation, part of StoryCorps’ Brightness in Black initiative, they talked about when it first showed up for her.
9/26-10/2: A TIME TO SPEAK (2:58 min) | In 1975, Tech. Sgt. Leonard Matlovich — known to friends as Mat — appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, challenging the military’s ban on gay service members. He was the first openly gay man to appear on the cover of a national publication. At StoryCorps, his friend, Jeff Dupre, remembers meeting Mat — and the quiet courage that led him to make history.
10/3-10/16: LATE NIGHTS AT DUBROW’S (2:27 min) | It was the late 1930s in Brooklyn when Van Harris met his wife-to-be, Shirley. The couple went on to share a 75-year relationship, and were well known for performing comedy together in Borscht Belt resorts in New York State for nearly 40 years. But there was another place they loved to spend time together — Dubrow’s Cafeteria. At StoryCorps, the duo shared stories of the characters they met at the cultural landmark.
10/17-10/23: DANNY & ANNIE (6:15 min) | Danny Perasa and his wife, Annie, came to StoryCorps to recount their twenty-seven-year romance. As they remember their life together from their first date to Danny’s final days with terminal cancer, these remarkable Brooklynites personify the eloquence, grace, and poetry that can be found in the voices of everyday people when we take the time to listen.
10/24-10/30: A KNOCK AT THE DOOR (2:09 min) | One late October evening, Juliet Jegasothy was home alone with her baby when her doorbell started ringing. Terrified, she hid in her room and called her husband, Brian, who was working late. The newlyweds had just moved to Brooklyn, NY from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka, and were still getting used to life in a new country.
10/31-11/6: MARKING THE DISTANCE (3:02 min) | When Gweneviere Mann lost her short-term memory following surgery to remove a brain tumor, she was forced to navigate life in a new way. But she wasn’t alone. With the support of her boyfriend, Yasir Salem, Gweneviere found she could tackle the challenges her condition threw her way—and a few more.
11/7-11/13: DREAMER’S GIFT (2:07 min) | For decades, Dreamer has been generously offering free haircuts to veterans from a trailer stationed in the heart of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus. At StoryCorps, Dreamer sits down with his friend, Paul Crowley, to discuss the transformative power of a haircut.
11/14-11/20: THREADS OF LOVE (2:21 min) | New release!
11/21-11/27: DEAR MRS. DOYLE (3:00 min) | It was just two days before Christmas in 1958 when John Cruitt’s mother died after being seriously ill with multiple sclerosis. At the time, he was a student in Cecile Doyle’s third grade class. And an act of kindness she showed him became stamped in his memory. So, more than 50 years later, he wrote her a letter.
11/28-12/4: ME & YOU (2:57 min) | On May 25, 1971, Jackie Miller and her husband brought home their son, Scott, whom they adopted. 37 years later, Scott brought his mother to StoryCorps, where they shared a conversation about Jackie’s decision to adopt him, their profound love for one another, and Scott’s trepidation at what the future holds.
12/5-12/11: GRANDMA’S HANDS (2:43 min) | Side by side, hand in hand—Madzimoyo Owusu remembers always feeling protected by her grandmother, even when they would just sit in silence. At StoryCorps, she opens up to her daughter, Johannah, about how her grandmother’s gentle, yet powerful spirit—and hands—left a lasting imprint on her life.
12/12-12/18: MAMA SUG (2:38 min) | Affectionately known as “Sug,” Cora Lee Collins captured the hearts of all. At StoryCorps, Sug’s daughter and granddaughter, Penelope Simmons and Suzanne Wayne, come together to reminisce about the wild, fun, and loving household Penelope grew up in and the endearing qualities that made her Mama Sug so cherished by everyone
12/19-12/25: OPERATION NORTH POLE (3:14 min) | Every Christmas Eve, people worldwide use the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) Santa Tracker to follow Santa Claus and his reindeer as he flies across the globe to deliver presents to children. The merry mission started in December 1955, at the height of the Cold War, when Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup received an unexpected call on his red phone — a top secret hotline at his base. At StoryCorps, Terri Van Keuren, Rick Shoup, and Pam Farrell — three of Colonel Shoup’s four children — share the tale of how their father spread cheer across the world.
12/26-1/1: THE ROAD HOME (3:28 min) | Eddie Lanier struggled with alcoholism for over 40 years, until his 28th stint in rehab finally led to sobriety. Homeless and hungry, Eddie found a friend in David Wright, a passerby whose frequent donations stood out. Four years after they shared Eddie’s remarkable story with StoryCorps, David persuaded Eddie to move into his home. They still live together to this day.