Beauty, Sex, & Shame | VAEFF 2026

Whose body is this? Is it mine? Or does it belong to those who lust after it? “Beauty, Sex, and Shame” is a program of films that question our relationship with our bodies, as they become undone under the relentless sexual gaze of society. Each filmmaker toys with the human physique, poking and prodding at the cracks beneath the often fastidiously manicured surface. Pleasure undercuts the idea of perfection as these films confront the cross-section of what we do for our own desires, and what is for the desire of others.

For more information visit: https://videoart.net/beauty-sex-and-shame-2026/

Mister Perfect directed by Shane Gambill

Perfection isn’t earned, it’s ordained by God millenia before you are brought into this world. Money. Power. Hot Babes. You either got it or you dont baby and we are only looking for those that got it, or can at least pay for it. Are you perfect yet?

Better Alone directed by Gabriella Moses

A couple on holiday discovers where the source of their discontent lies after day drinking in the heat and an unexpected text from back home divulges into an argument and separate nights out. Their secret truths are revealed with the sunrise.

Human Trials directed by Guilherme Proença

An experimental fashion film that reflects on the endless pursuit of perfection and optimisation of human experience.

Faz-te Mulher directed by Noémie Vanoli and Chiara Roserio

A woman vanishes into her own reflection. Each movement of her hair becomes an attempt to appear and a step toward disappearance. The film explores the fragile boundary between reality and dream, ritual and obsession, as every frame confronts the thin line that separates desire for recognition and exhibition. Through its deliberate slowness, the short film confronts the fragility of presence as identity dissolves into what is dictated

KaaDiki - Pool Party directed by Jordan Harvey

At a sun-drenched mid-century hideaway, a crew of impossibly chic, dangerously attractive criminals lounge at a decadent pool party. In the bushes, two young FEDs meant to be surveilling them become increasingly captivated, their gaze lingering less on the operation and more on the men themselves. Just as the party hits its fever pitch, the Boss’s chihuahua sounds the alarm, and the criminals vanish, leaving behind nothing but melting ice cream, discarded cigars, and two officers wondering if they were ever really in control.

Made in His Image directed by Megan Brisco

A film that utilizes experimental animation techniques mixed with live action footage. It questions the relation of the female physique to current society, making connections between the meat industry and the beauty industry through the use of the female body and meat packaging.

HVAC directed by Jackson McKeehan

In a blue-collar Missouri town, a 13-year-old HVAC apprentice grappling with confusing desires becomes entangled in a surreal, dangerous encounter at the local theatre—where longing and innocence bleed together in one irreversible night.

Self-Mimetic directed by Christophe Chudy

This film unfolds as a philosophical introspection on the perception and projection of our own image. What dialogue do we hold with the reflection we shape? Do we draw closer to ourselves when we mold our image, or do we drift further away from who we truly are?

Searching For Nothing directed by Shenyijie Song

Through fragmented imagery and layered visual distortions, this film traces a cycle of self-observation, anxiety, and the search for validation that ultimately leads back to the self.

Event venue

Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, New York, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Get the app →

Discover more events by tag