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Some Harambe short films are currently screening at festivals and may be available as private screeners upon request.

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The Leaf-a-teers

An uplifting award-winning animated short about Harry, a late-blooming caterpillar struggling to find his place in the world. Surrounded by friends already transforming around him, Harry begins to wonder if he will ever become who he was meant to be. Blending warmth, humor, and emotional storytelling, The Leaf-a-teers is a gentle reminder that transformation often arrives when we finally learn to trust ourselves.

Written, directed, and produced by Stephen Hessel for Harambe Production Company. Recipient of a Telly Award for Generative AI Narrative, along with multiple international film festival honors including Best

The Dandy Lion

The Dandy Lion is an award-winning hopeful sci-fi short about a compassionate doctor, an unlikely robot, and a humble dandelion flower that becomes an unexpected symbol of healing, hope, and renewal. As the world begins to rediscover the beauty and hidden potential of a plant long dismissed as a weed, the film celebrates nature’s quiet power to bring people together and inspire change.

Written, directed, and produced by Stephen Hessel for Harambe Production Company, The Dandy Lion continues his tradition of heartfelt visual storytelling filled with warmth, imagination, and optimism.

Recipient of multiple international film festival awards, including Best International Short Film, Best US Short Film, Best Animated Short Film, and Best Children’s Short Film.

The Second Wind

High in a remote mountain fortress, an android cares for the last surviving human as Earth slowly begins to heal. The Second Wind explores memory, compassion, and renewal in a world searching for its next breath.

Blending cinematic science fiction with warmth, wonder, and quiet humanity, this visually driven short reflects on what remains after collapse – and what still has the power to begin again. Written, directed, and produced by Stephen Hessel for Harambe Production Company.

“The last exhale becomes the first breath.”