12 And More Omissions (Jordan Lisi, 2024)

Split Tooth Media and Soda's Peak Art Present '12 And More Omissions' — three stories about distance in cherished relationships, written & directed by Jordan Lisi.

In Split Tooth Media's first holiday special, we present the online premiere of Lisi's 2024 debut feature. For the past two years Split Tooth has had the pleasure of hosting online premieres of short films by Michael Glover Smith ('Paper Planes' [2023], co-directed with Alyssa Thordarson, and 'Handle With Care' [2023]) during the holidays. This year, Smith shot a feature film, 'Hekla,' that will be released in early 2026. So, without a short film from Smith to share this year, we asked Smith to host our first Split Tooth Holiday Special. In addition to the premiere of '12 and More Omissions,' Glover Smith recorded an introduction to the film, and Shuan Seneviratne (director of 'Ben and Suzanne, a Reunion in 4 Parts') sat down with Lisi to discuss 'Omissions' in a post-film interview.

'Omissions' tracks three separate narratives across three East Coast locations. It intercuts these stories — each built from complicated relationships among family members and between lovers — in a quietly disruptive fashion. We are shown the moments that take place around the breakups and the fights; we see characters caught up in contemplative strolls and preparing meals. We are aware of the tensions, the worries, the loneliness, and the melancholy that these characters live with, but Lisi doesn't use them to drive the narratives to a familiar place. The film challenges us not only to recognize connections between the stories as similarly, though undoubtedly less radically fragmented films often encourage, but to sit within each small moment and envelop ourselves in the environments with these characters. 'Omissions' is Lisi's debut feature, and with the bold decisions being made in this film, we should all prepare for more exciting and daring work from the young filmmaker in the future.

Watch Glover Smith's intro here:
   • 12 and More Omissions intro w/ Michael Glo...  

Watch the interview with Lisi, conducted by Shaun Seneviratne:
   • 12 And More Omissions: The Split Tooth Int...  

"Jordan Lisi's got some great ideas about structure here, which he's taken off and run with, hard--the result is this tough little jewel of indie cinema."
Andrew Bujalski, writer/director of 'Computer Chess' (2013), 'Funny Ha Ha' (2002), and more.

"This is an exceptional film I’ll be returning to again and again."
Peter Rinaldi, host of Filmmaker Magazine's 'Back To One' podcast

​"Jordan Lisi's direction is ambitious and yet does not get caught up in the desire to overdo it and to mirror itself; the result is a complete work directed with maturity and a certain degree of originality...We believe that 12 And More Omissions represents a starting point in the perspective of a research that follows a double track (cinematic research and excavation into the soul of the human being) and that we will hear a lot in the future about Jordan Lisi and his personal way of approaching cinema and people."
Ordet: The Word at the Cinema Arthouse

“This astonishing feature debut from first-time director, Jordan Lisi, asks all the right questions about what it means to be human. But even more surprising, is his refusal to give us simple answers. Instead, he challenges us to find our own meaning in the stories he so astutely portrays... But perhaps most surprising of all is the simplicity and elegance of the way Lisi spins his artful web."
Pamela Katz, screenwriter of 'Hannah Arendt' (2012), 'Rosenstrasse' (2003), and more

"The storylines are far-flung ostensibly disconnected from one another, but the film itself nevertheless feels quite personal and cohesive. As a first film, it's really quite an impressive feat to put together something so ambitious for a short film (that also succeeds so well)."
Jonathon Foltz, author, 'The Novel after Film: Modernism and the Decline of Autonomy' (Oxford University Press, 2018)

“Visually striking and beautifully shot…the dialogue felt really true to life and the soundtrack was great. Subtle tension building throughout that really hit me when the credits rolled.”
Louisa Ballhaus, writer/author, features correspondent for BBC Culture

Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actresses, Best Cinematography — Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival 2024

Best Director — Berlin Independent Film Festival 2024

Official Selection: Golden State Film Festival 2024, NewFilmmakers NYC 2024, Tokyo International Short Film Festival 2024, Roma Short Film Festival 2024, Adult Film NYC Film & Theatre Festival 2024, Non Films Darkroom Screening & Salon. Semifinalist, Dumbo Film Festival 2024. Additional Screenings: Boston University: Independent Filmmaking Today Winter 2025, 5 Films at Brooklyn Center For Theater Research.