Ice Cream Tears is a 2026 drama short about a grieving man trying to reach the overlook where he once ate ice cream with his mother. A routine traffic stop becomes the moment he can no longer contain what he has been carrying.
Film at a glance
- Runtime: 2 minutes 38 seconds
- Written and directed by: Jake Crossman and Nehemiah Jordan
- Starring: Jake Crossman and Austin S. Butler
- Produced and edited by: Jake Crossman
- Production company: Ice Cream Tears Production, LLC
For casting and representation, the short is a compact sample of Crossman's dramatic close-up work. For producers, collaborators, and script readers, it also shows a complete narrative idea carried from writing through performance, production, and edit.
Open the official electronic press kit
Verified festival record
The film's current verified record is five official selections, one award win, and one honorable mention. The award and honorable mention occurred within those five selections. An official selection is not presented as an award.
- Berlin Indie Film Festival: Official Selection and Winner, Best First Time Director, Short Film, 2026
- Berlin Kiez Film Festival: Official Selection and Honorable Mention, 2026
- The Brightside Film Festival: Official Selection, 2026. No additional award.
- Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival: Official Selection, 2026. No additional award.
- Tokyo International Short Film Festival: Official Selection, 2026. No additional award.
This wording follows the official Ice Cream Tears press kit. It deliberately separates wins, honorable mentions, and official selections so casting, representatives, programmers, and press can evaluate the record accurately.
What the film shows
The film places a contained emotional performance inside a clear visual premise: a melting ice cream cone, a funeral suit, a race toward a remembered place, and a traffic stop that breaks the character's composure. Its short runtime makes the writing, performance, and editorial choices quick to assess without reducing the work to a claim or a laurel count.