Animation Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Beautiful | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Mulan Fu
Writer: Mulan Fu
Cast: Meng Jin
Synopsis: A teenage girl undergoes a transformative growth as she witnesses her mother’s fight against breast cancer.
A Town Where We live | Thailand | 2020 | 06’
Director: Nat Yoswatananont
Writer: Tanakit Kitsanayunyong
Producer: Wanwisa Noppawong
Cast: Na Ayuthaya
Synopsis: As Phakphum travels back from the city to the small village that he has lived since his childhood, he recalls the day he arrives in this town due to his father’s job duty. And that day had changed his life forever when he met Kanya, a country girl who took him on an unforgettable journey.
YUZMV – DJINN AMOUREUX II | France | 04’
Director: Pierre Saba-Aris
Producer: Yann Bigay , Panamaera
Two Different Kinds of Love | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Alyce Vest
Producer: Alyce Vest
Cast: Amanda Conrath, Delaney Humes
Synopsis: A little girl is excited to discover more about her adoption story.
Final Draft | United States | 2020 | 08’
Director: Yue Huang
Writer: Yue Huang
Producer: Yue Huang
Synopsis: A blithe young cafe worker delivers food to a writer in an old apartment, only to find herself a pawn in an ominously unfolding plot.
In My Particular Case | Uruguay | 2020 | 05’
Director: CHICO JOFILSAN
Writer: Chico Jofisan, Duda Fonseca
Synopsis: In a world in which focus no longer stands out dispersion occupies the foreground. This is the theme of this film that shows different resources of animation in adapting to the rhythm of our minds. After all, what other art, if not animation, can shape so many imaginary worlds?
A Big Crush | United States | 2020 |02’
Director: Youting Lin
Producer: Youting Lin
Synopsis: ‘A Big Crush’ is my graduation film, from School of Visual Art 2020. It’s a porn story with a bit of feminism. It’s about a girl who has a romantic and sexual experience, and how her psyche handles a series of reactions including the association of sex and food. The project was inspired by an exploration of emotion and sexuality from a woman’s view. To develop the story, I made a questionnaire about emotion and sexuality, and the results were surprisingly interesting and diverse. This step definitely helped me to make the story a bit more personal, weird, and playful.
The end | United States | 02’
Director: Parisa Ghaderi
Writer: Parisa Ghaderi
Producer: Parisa Ghaderi
Cast: Hannah Miller
Jean | France | 14’
Director: Marion Auvin
Writer: Marion Auvin
Producers: Virginie Giachino, Joris Clerté
Cast: Bruno Podalydès
Überfrog | Finland | 2020 | 12’
Director: Tuomas Kurtakko
Writer: Tuomas Kurtakko
Producer: Tuomas Kurtakko
Synopsis: When a chase for a delicious dragonfly goes awry, a frog finds himself on a journey towards higher levels of amphibian consciousness, ultimately leading him down the rabbit hole to face his worst fears and run for his life.
Spirit of the Drowning Girls | China | 2019 | 11’
Director: Runze Cao
Writer: Runze Cao, Zewei Jin
Producer: Lei Wang
Synopsis: The ghost story is inspired by a letter of the famous ancient Chinese poet / scholar Dongpo Su (1037-1101). A young Kongfu master falls into the trap of an evil old spirit who enslaves dead little girls drowned by their own parents.
RenaiDance | United States | 2020 | 04’
Directors: Zhike Yang, Wenjie Wu, Han Chen Chang
Producers: Han Chen Chang, Ada Vaughan, Lucas A Ferrara, Jorden Samchok, Brian Chapman
Cast: Florence Dueck, Maxim Maslov
Synopsis: “RenaiDance” is a 3D narrative emotional animation. The theme invigorates cultural inheritance and the integration of dreams, courage, and culture as transformation. By artistically interpreting a motif of inheritance and family support, integrating different cultures“inheritance” through the inspiring story, this film braces strong family love and elder culture in a never-ending chain.
Metamorphosis | Ukraine | 2019 | 07’
Director: Anna Rudichenko
Writer: Anna Rudichenko
Producer: Anna Rudichenko
Cast: Oleg Kuznetsov, Anna Rudichenko
Synopsis: Gregor is a soviet WW2 veteran and breadwinner for his elderly Father and young sister. In a loose adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” Gregor’s life is suddenly in turmoil after a tragic event pits his family against each other.
Children Short – Official Selection – August 2020
STARRY SKY | United States | 2020 | 11’
Director: Yi Lu
Writer: Zhirui Wang
Producer: Shihan Lu
Cast: Sophia Robertson, Jenna N Day, Parker Huseby
Synopsis: An indigo child full of whimsy, trying to convey her uniqueness to her mother.
SOLO | France | 2020 | 06’
Director: Thierry Albert , Arthur Couvat
Producer: Thierry Albert
Cast: Jules Albert
Synopsis: Solo focuses on a 5-year-old boy left wandering on his own in the garden of an empty house. Beautifully shot in 16mm, it’s an attempt to capture the wonder of childhood boredom.
Commercial /Ad/TVC Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Commercial for Castel MIMI |Republic of Moldova| 01’
Director: Vlas Igor
Writer: Vlas Igor
Jeans Commercial | United States | 2019 | 1’
Director: Yuchi Tian
Writer: Yuchi Tian
Producer: Yuchi Tian
Cast: James Achille, Effy Han
Synopsis: A guy thought he found love, but he never knew what happed in next second.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – August 2020
The heavy lightness of being | Germany | 2020 | 14’
Director: Sofia Samoylova
Writer: Sofia Samoylova
Synopsis: The film tells the story of a volunteer who travels to the conflict area of her home country Ukraine to help the civilian population there. What she finds most of all in war is not fear and anger, but an intense, mindful existence with people from whom she does not want to leave. The thoughts of the protagonist are those of the filmmaker herself.
Tuva youngster – Yong Deng | China | 2019 | 30’
Director: Zhang Xiquan
Writer: Zhang Xiquan
Producer: Zhang Hong
Cast: Yong Deng
Synopsis: Yong Deng, a 12 years old Tuva boy who is living in Altay in Xinjiang, China. Altay is a remote area in China. He inherited the habits from the old generations, he likes fur skiing and riding horses which are also the main transportations of Tuva local people. Nowadays the modern technology offers a way that Yong Deng could explore the world. He wants to learn the modern snow board instead of the fur skiing. He made a deal with his father if he could win the race of the Children’s fur skiing, he would get a whole new set of snow board. With the development of China, Yong Deng’s parent hope he could go out and experience different life by being a snow board player. On the voyage of growing up.With the development of China’s remote villages, parents hope that Yong Deng will master the current skiing technology and get out of the mountains，contact with the outside world. On the way of growing up, he will confront lots of difficulties, will his dream come true?
FUSION | Russian Federation | 09’
Director: Sergey Filatov
Writer: Sergey Filatov
Producers: Aleksey Nikishkin, Irina Meleshko
Synopsis: Documentary about the group of creative people from all over the world, who took a place on fabulous tours to beyond the Arctic Circle. These people are enchanted by the romance of the North and gain inspiration from nature, they crave to explore the most exotic places on the planet. During the travel they create works of art and social projects and also share with their followers stories about the journey to the cities of the far North of Russia. They dispel the stereotypes of Arctic as a remote and unfriendly land. This story is about the emotions, impressions, inspiration, amazing northern nature and ethnic communities that inhabit the Arсtic.
A Sidewalk Story | Not Specified | 2020 | 03’
Andrew Price
“A Sidewalk Story” celebrates a New York community’s creative solution for connecting with and supporting each other despite the constraints of the current health and justice crises that we are all facing. Over the span of five sidewalk sales, more than $100,000 in donations have been raised for social justice organizations. Some press on the sale: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/n7wkkz/open-your-purse-for-brooklyns-black-lives-matter-sidewalk-sale https://www.gq.com/story/greenpoint-sidewalk-sale https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/dyzwqa/community-secondhand-sales
Everything for Riana | Romania | 2019 | 27’
Director: Mihai Dragolea
Writer: Mihai Gavril Dragolea
Producer: Ioana Lascar
Cast: Florin Boceanu, Amalia Stoian
Synopsis: Caught between tradition, modernity and mounting money problems, a young Roma family embark on an epic survival journey that will take them through Europe and test their unity, strength and way of life. Facing the chaos of globalisation and capitalism, they discover the strength of each other, united for the survival of the small family.
Mamma | France | 2020 | 27’
Director: Pablo Cirès
Producer: Pablo Cirès
Synopsis: While she was struggling every day against her lung cancer, I stumbled across some of my mother’s videotapes: her travels, her wedding, my birth.Her present, overshadowed by the disease, revolving only around waiting, treatments, morphine, was so different from the archives that showed her to me in a new light: radiant, carefree, loving. Feeling that her life was slipping through my fingers, before she died, I wanted one last time to make her talk and photograph her.
Experimental Video Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Do Geese See God | South Africa | 2019 | 05’
Director: Natalie Theron
Writer: Natalie Theron
Producers: Austin Andrews, Linda Mangqu
Cast: Mpho Osei-Tutu
Synopsis: An ordinary man-on-the-street finds his world inexplicably reduced to the size of a 16 by 9 frame. That exiting the screen on one-side only makes him reappears on the other. Brilliant if you want to play catch with yourself, not so great when you decide you want to leave… but can’t. As the protagonist’s novelty turns into a nightmare, we see his carefree demeanour edge towards madness. How long has he been stuck in this loop, in this life? He comes to a stark realisation that perhaps the only way out, is through.
Fiat Lux | Greece | 2020 | 11’
Director: Yorgos Korakianitis
Writer: Yorgos Korakianitis
Producer: Yorgos Korakianitis
Cast: Evi Saoulidou, Yorgos Biniaris, Titos Litinas, Zoe Sigalou
Synopsis: When night falls, the cities of light open. The stars are not visible there and this deregulates people. The idea of a dark city fills every part of it with fear. The vast starry sky remains untouched by the small bright wounds. Maybe it’s just there to remind people how small they really are.
Acting Weak | Israel | 2020 | 10’
Director: Maayan Schwartz
Producer: Maayan Schwartz
Cast: Naomi Polani
Synopsis: 90 years old Naomi almost died. She portrayed a character of a weak helpless woman, reluctantly enacting her greatest fear: losing control. Little did she know that she would suffer the same fate only weeks later. The film depicts a universal and personal journey on the inevitable victory of body over spirit.
Bedsore | Thailand | 2019 | 15’
Director: Parin Intarasorn
Writer: Parin Intarasorn
Producer: Soraya Nakasuwan
Cast: Ngampa Thitipanakul
Synopsis: Bedsore; a pain from the press of the body. Human beings are surrounded by matter, it takes the important role and power over the mind. Human unconsciously falls under the oppression of materials and survive in the material world. It gradually eating us and leaving the sore of pain in mind.
Margaret | United States | 2020 | 18’
Directors: Nathaniel Paul Hamer, Zachary Hamer
Writer: Nathaniel Paul Hamer
Producer: Amanda Sophia Ebert
Cast: Amanda Sophia Ebert, Rhys Henley, Trey Hatch, Stephen Straub, Nathaniel Paul Hamer, Gary Taylor, Mark Olguin
Synopsis: Fleeing her cruel husband and tragic past, Margaret must navigate the treacherous and foreboding wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula. Will she complete her perilous journey or will her past catch up with her before she can escape?
Choices | India | 2020 | 03’
Director: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Producer: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Synopsis: An absurdist montage on materialistic desires, through examination of my personal space during the Covid pandemic lockdown. When control is realized to be a mirage, objects turn into spectres.
Choices | India | 2020 | 03
Director: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Cast: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Synopsis: An absurdist montage on materialistic desires, through examination of my personal space during the Covid pandemic lockdown. When control is realized to be a mirage, objects turn into spectres.
Mini Video Short – Official Selection – August 2020
The Beholder | Not Specified | 2020 | 02’
Director: Shaun Clark
Cast: Melvyn Ternan
Synopsis: The eye is the window to the soul. That is why it terrifies us.
Double Word Score | United Kingdom | 2020 | 02’
Director: Keith Allott
Writer: Kevin Walls
Producer: Dom Lee
Cast: Mbili Munthali, Joe Street
Synopsis: Lockdown boredom leads to a flirtatious game of Scrabble between neighbours Jamie and Ashley, but does Jamie have what it takes to make the next move?
Siri | United States | 2020 | 01’
Director: Jake Rasmussen
Writers: Jake Rasmussen, Tom McGovern
Cast: Tom McGovern
Synopsis: Just another reason you shouldn’t text and drive.
Long Day | Ireland | 02’
Cast: Eleanor O’Brien, Johanna O’Brien
Synopsis: Dark drama mini-short film about dealing with grief, shot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivery | United Kingdom | 2020 | 01’
Director: Merike van de Vijver
Writer: Faith Lawrence
Producer: Merike van de Vijver
Synopsis: Delivery is an animated interpretation of a poem by Faith Lawrence. The moving images and sound add an extra dimension to the words yet give your mind freedom to flow.
Music Short Video – Official Selection – August 2020
Good and Better | Germany | 2020 | 05’
Director: Gil Alkabetz
Writer: Tova Gertner
Producer: Gil Alkabetz
Cast: Tova Gertner
Synopsis: “It’s hard to think it’s gonna be good, much easier to think it’s gonna be bad”: A song in waltz rhythm is combined with absurd animated loops to express a feeling of concern and uncertainty about the future.
CASS & LEX | Germany | 2020 | 05’
Director: Phillip Kaminiak
Writer: Phillip Kaminiak
Producer: Phillip Kaminiak
Cast: Cassandre Clerc, Johannes Lex
Synopsis: In his directorial debut, Berlin and Mexico City-based cinematographer Phillip Kaminiak embarks on a personal project where he attempts to deal with his previous relationships by training a lens on real-life couple Cassandre Clerc and Johannes Lex. By documenting their lives and translating their relationship into Dance, CASS & LEX tells a poem about the beauty and the horror of love.
Don’t Die | Canada | 2020 | 04’
Director: Greg Doble
Writer: Greg Doble
Producer: Greg Doble
Cast: Kathryn McCaughey, Sarah Dion, Lisandre Bourdages, Karolane Carbonneau
Synopsis: Montreal based doom pop band, NOBRO do for a stroll through a haunted graveyard. What could go wrong?
Bubble | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2020 | 04’
Director: Shahab Najafi
Prodcers: HappyGoat Studio, Sirvan Khosravi
Cast: Sirvan Khosravi
Synopsis: When man fails to find the truth, he will drown in a sea of his delusions. Delusions which torture him like empty nightmares. He finds himself the same as others and them as himself. Thousands of lost souls, all of them are the same. Life becomes pointless and screams become voiceless, skies become dark and roads become endless. As a prisoner inside a bubble.
NOSSO TRATO | Not Specified | 2020 | 05’
Director: Manoel
Writers: Lia Paris, P.A Alain
Producers: Lia Paris , P.A Alain , Meire Fernandes
Cast: Lia Paris , P.A Alain
Synopsis: Nosso Trato is a new independent work by Lia Paris in partnerships that brings together a crossing of visions and creative universes, which is the concept of the album also co-produced by professionals of different strands and nationalities. The video was shot before the pandemic in Los Angeles. The visual identity shows a vision of the future and the idea of human gods, human beings endowed with mental and control of elements and energies. In her videos Lia incorporates entities, personifying hybrid versions between mysterious beings and part of herself. “OUR DEAL”is inspired by her Brazilian indigenous roots and the power of shamans with their power of spells with organic elements of the rainforest in the musical production of “Spaniol” who mixed this live elements with electronic sounds working the essence of Lia and also other influences of the repertoire of two of them.
Gymnopédie No. 2: Vivian Roost Rework (Project XII) | France | 2020 | 04’
Directors: Alexandre Gamot, Alexis Goldenberg
Writers: Alexandre Gamot, Alexis Goldenberg, Vivian Roost
Producers: Daïdana Music, Sad Hill Films
Cast: Vivian Roost, Nina Milana, Baptiste le Cloarec
Synopsis: Two characters (woman & man) are isolated in a circle, representing the lockdown period of 2020. While the pianist is the narrator of the story, his music moves and inspires the dancers through their solitude, anger and desperation. In the end, the music is the key to their freedom as they come together on the beach. The editing and shooting suggests the two characters are close, even together but in fact are never shown in the same frame until the end when they are finally reunited. The pianist, performed by the artist on a very old upright Pleyel piano, narrates the story by representing the music (and the composer Erik Satie).The sea is a low-key tribute to Satie, who was born in Honfleur (seaside town, France) and also pictures the need to escape from reality, the dreamlike scenery it offers, as it can be peaceful or tormented, just like life.Waves and foam reminds the strings of the track in their slow back and forth movement. All shooting locations are in France.
Distance | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Stefany Rojo
Writer: Stefany Rojo
Producer: Ricardo Iacovelli
Cast: Cristina Malakhai, Ottavio Taddei
Synopsis: “Distance” is a music video for the artists Cristina Malakhai and Bellringer inspired by the painting ‘The Lovers’ by René Magritte. “Distancia” is a song that weaves seduction and disconnected love, blending R&B, Latin Pop, Hip-Hop, and Electronic music. The touches of traditional Flamenco pull listeners into a dance with the fusion of cultures that is today’s music. The lyrics capture the complexities of two people and two worlds that are so close, yet so far apart. Deeper than romantic love, it expresses the tension between the human desire for connection and the complicated ways we perceive ourselves as separate. The song’s fresh sound, which marries Latin and African-American urban music, in Spanish and English, emerges from the collaboration of LA music producer, songwriter, and artist Marcus “Bellringer” Bell, whose credits include Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and more, and Spanish artist and music producer, Cristina Malakhai, the rising star of “Distancia,” who has charted #1 in iTunes Spain.
Mobile Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Hugo | United States | 2020 | 05’
Director: Justin Christopher Ayd
Producers: Justin Christopher Ayd, Jennifer Lillemo Ayd
Synopsis: A study in grief — Pets aren’t just pets, they’re family.
War is not a game | Russian Federation | 2020 | 02’
Director: Arthur Mikheev
Writer: Arthur Mikheev
Producer: Anastasia Borisova
Cast: Artem Selezsky
Synopsis: The story of why only children should play war. Gear used: 1. iPhone 11 Pro 2. Moment Anamorphic 3. Sirui 60mm 4. Freefly Movi 5. Micro 2 Slider 6. Involight 1200 fog generator . .
Soft: 1. Moment Pro Camera 2. Premiere Pro 3. After Effects
Choices | India | 2020 | 03’
Director: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Peoducer: Unni Krishnan Kayarat
Synopsis: An absurdist montage on materialistic desires, through examination of my personal space during the Covid pandemic lockdown. When control is realized to be a mirage, objects turn into spectres.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Archibald’s Syndrome | France | 19’
Director: Daniel Perez
Writer: Daniel Perez
Producer: Bagan Films
Cast:Tom Hudson, Jade Henot
Synopsis: Archibald is born with some curious curse : he can’t make a move without everyone around doing the same. Now grown man, he robs by despair a bank and, there, meets Indiana, a young woman who always escaped every form of control…
Leo | Switzerland | 2020 | 30’
Director: Fabienne Mahé
Writer: Fabienne Mahé
Producer: Patrick Jeanneret
Cast: Lilly Fleur Pointeaux, Valentine Féau, Cyrielle
Synopsis: As she does every Sunday night, Leo is getting ready to receive her two sisters at dinner. As expected from her, she didn’t prepare anything. Except a heavy secret that she’s struggling to reveal.
Summer Attic| 15’
Director: Wenting Gao
Writer: Wenting Gao
Producers: Yaling Zhang, Jie Gao
Cast: Huisi Zhuang, Wenkai Dai, Wanqi Huang
Synopsis: Sue, who came to Shenzhen to work after her father died on a construction site, is determined to get her father’s compensation. However, she began to realize how quickly this huge city forgets about a tiny life. In Shenzhen, Sue befriends Chao, a bookstore worker, and the budding romance seems doomed from the start. On the other side of the world, Yan yan, the little girl that Sue was looking after, often sleeps with her because she is afraid of the dark. The fates of these three people are intertwined, but gradually they are driving towards an irreversible separation.
White Horses, Silver Mine | United States | 2020 | 15’
Director: ZIyi Jin
Writers: Ziyi Jin, Jun Tang
Producer: Eduardo Vasconcelos
Cast: Juan de la Loza, Brayan Jaramillo Martínez, Vicente Ferri
Synopsis: In a small village from the middle of Mexico, as a decaying mine’s manager, a self-restrained 60 year old homosexual man is suffering from his secret lover’s departure, while his little son unconsciously perceives the secret and the separation in one day.
Swimming | United States | 2018 | 30’
Director: Anna Chi
Writer: Anna Chi, Ella Lee
Producer: Ming
Cast: Ming-Na Wen, Blake Boyd, Krista Marie Yu, Rochelle Ying
Synopsis: Michelle, a 17-year-old Chinese American girl, is trying to figure out her sexual identity while her mother and her stepfather are busy with her almost 4-month-old baby sister. One day Michelle is left in charge of the baby on her own, she gets frustrated with the crying baby and takes the baby to the beach. While Michelle thinks the outing created a special bonding between her and her baby sister, her worried parents blame her for being irresponsible. They fight. Michelle’s mother is confronted with the facts that Michelle has been hurting herself and she is gay.
Remus | Germany | 2020 | 16’
Director: Lucy Ribeiro
Writer: Lucy Ribeiro
Producer: Tatjana Lommel
Cast: Dennis Kamitz, Katrin Heß, David Mullikas, Thore Brodtmann, Timo Maar
Synopsis: Maik is a hooligan and is part of the “Hools on Fire”. His older sister Alex, who is with the leader of the group, Schulz, has great hopes in him and already sees him, as her friend intended, at the leader’s side. Maik, on the other hand, is just in love with Andrej. The two men have a secret love affair and have so far not known anything about the other’s life. Maik begins to doubt his life plan so far and is no longer sure whether he wants to remain a hool. Alex notices that her brother is pulling away and is trying hard to keep him with him. Schulz and Hübi, another member, and so far the leader’s right-hand man, notice that something is wrong with Maik and put him and Alex under pressure, especially in view of an important upcoming fight with another hool group. On the day of the fight, Maik and Andrej suddenly face each other completely unexpectedly and Maik is forced to make a decision.
Family Affairs | Singapore | 2019 | 14’
Director: Chai Yee Wei
Writer: Chai Yee Wei, Tan Wei Xin, Emily Wong, Nicholas Wang, Emma Ting
Producer: Chermin Teo
Cast: Yeo Yann Yann, Ng Lee Huat, Ow Ek Cheng
Synopsis: After finalising her divorce in China, Weixin travels back home to Singapore for Chinese New Year. Bringing home a traditional dish of new year rice cake, it transpires a slice of her family’s history—one that is awkward, resilient but enlightening.
Smile Mask | Canada | 19’
Director: Dean Disanjh
Writer: Dean Disanjh
Producers: Dean Disanjh, Brent Hodgkinson, Cameron Root, Jeremy Tremblay Destiny Millns, Ethan Ellis, Cast: Daniel Frost, Christapor Yaacoubian
Synopsis: An exhausted birthday clown is confronted with an absurd home invasion after a depressing night at work.
Gratification | Mexico | 2020 | 16’
Director: Andrés Hernández Covarrubias
Writer: Andrés Hernández Covarrubias
Producer: Sergio Cervantes
Cast: Jorge Lan, Juan Pablo Monterrubio, Linda Montero, Martín Tadeo Zapata, Luis Román
Synopsis: Alfonso is a man who lives immersed in his work and in his own distractions. On the day of his son’s birthday he decides to buy him a gift, however, a series of complications will make him understand the true meaning of affection.
Happy Birthday | Russian Federation | 2020 | 07’
Director: Boris Dobrovolskiy
Writer: Boris Dobrovolskiy
Producer: Boris Dobrovolskiy
Cast: Julia Sules
Synopsis: She invited guests to her birthday party, but nobody came…
What did you think? | India | 2019 | 12’
Director: Parinaz Jal
Writer: Parinaz Jal
Producer: Shujaat Saudagar and Vikesh Bhutani
Cast: Mahathi Ramesh, Gopal Dutt Tiwari , Neha Mahajan, Jaya Bhattacharya , Denzil Smith
Synopsis: Kiara, is an aspiring actor, who feels like her career has plateaued before it could even take off. This thought is making her insecure. The film is from Kiara’s point of view and is set at the backstage of a theatre play in which she is performing. The story moves with her as she interacts with her co-actors. Each actor seems to be constantly seeking validation and Kiara finds herself frustrated by this, yet she always comes back for more.
Where the Ends Meet | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Alex Sylvester
Writer: Eric Williams
Producers: Eric Williams, Justin Robert Vinall
Cast: Bianca Raso, Gracie Cook
Synopsis: When her options start dwindling, Tracy, a single mother, must do whatever necessary to feed her daughter.
Lift Off | United States | 2020 | 14’
Director: Alyssa Toledo
Writer: Alyssa Toledo
Producers: Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow
Cast: Rudy Pankow, Wahoo Watkins, Candi Brooks, Austin Morris, Jon Daviss
Synopsis: The dichotomy between a young boy’s childhood dreams and his adult reality.
Until Then… | Slovenia | 2020 | 09’
Director: Borij Levski
Writer: Anei Levski
Producer: Borij Levski
Cast: Blaž Setnikar, Tina Skvarča
Synopsis: Throwback to romantic times we used to hichhike and meet different people and our worries were else where. This short story shows how two souls finally meet after a lifetime of searching eachother. We just hope they will meet again. And that we will be there to see it. Until then… enjoy their ride.
Angelo | Greece | 2020 | 18’
Director: Andreas Anninos
Writer: Andreas Anninos
Producers: Apulia Film Comission, Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People
Cast: Markos Papadokostantakis, Ioli Charalampopoulou
Synopsis: Thanos confronts Alice’s mysticism about Angelo and decides to find out who he is.
People Show 138: Last Day | United Kingdom | 2020 | 15’
Director: Gareth Brierley
Writers: Gareth Brierley , Fiona Creese
Producer: Maya Willcocks
Cast: Tyrone Huggins, George Khan
Synopsis: A short dreamlike drama about power, loss and loyalty.
People Show 138: Last Day, follows HR manager Sidney, who after thirty years of working at an industrial sock factory faces a challenging dilemma that could affect the livelihood of his employees. We find him wandering around the now empty workplace haunted by the memories of his past colleagues, friends, and bosses. Throughout his journey he is confronted head on by the horrific consequences of his actions. Will he make the right choice at the end of his last day? Starring Tyrone Huggins, George Khan and thirty young performers from the University of Roehampton’s Drama, Theatre and Performance department.
L A R A | United Kingdom | 2020 | 13’
Director: George Blagden
Writer: George Blagden
Cast: George Blagden
Synopsis: A man struggles to prepare for an interview, seeking help from his intelligent assistant.
What We Found Out There | Canada | 10’
Director: Karl Kimmel
Writer: Karl Kimmel
Producer: Karl Kimmel
Cast: Zachary Loewen, Dayleigh Nelson, Sean Collins, Pascal Belanger, Tara Gothreau
Synopsis: Two friends find more than they bargained for out on their hike in the wilderness
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – August 2020
MY NIGHT WITH JÉRÉMY | 2018 | 01’
Director: Alfred Matérn
Synopsis: Reminiscence of a man who appears in Brooklyn, then disappears.
Filmed in Brooklyn, 2017. With Jérémy Dorbane. Copyright by Alfred Matérn, MMXX. All rights reserved.
Meek Lover Creek | United States | 2019 | 14’
Director: Joshua Gaestel
Writer: Joshua Gaestel
Producer: Joshua Gaestel
Cast: Tracy Grammer
Synopsis: Tracy Grammer and Benjamin Breton star in this meditative short film about morality in an impartial world.
In Case We Get Found | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Sarah Young
Writer: Emily J. Daly
Producer: Sarah Young
Cast: Tori Ernst, Hyojin Park, Arnold Treviño
Synopsis: Three strangers scramble into a bathroom to hide from an outside threat. Together they confront their worst fears and make plans to survive the next ten minutes; the typical length of a mass shooting event.
Tailwind (Poem) | Germany | 2020 | 03’
Director: Annemarie Chladek
Writer: Annemarie Chladek
Producer: Annemarie Chladek
Cast: Smilla Riedel
Synopsis: Driven by an abstract poem a young woman is trying to escape tristesse. At the sight of many people, who seem to be choked by their everyday life, something starts to seethe in her until she passionately breaks out and starts to enjoy.
Strawberry Espresso | Romania | 2020 | 13’
Director: Diana Iacomir
Writer: Diana Iacomir
Producer: Vislandia
Synopsis: Andrei Barbu, Maria Baciu, Damian Oancea, Iulia Mirica
I s o l a t i o n | United States | 2020 | 13’
Director: Carlos E. Pacheco
Synopsis: When the Coronavirus pandemic hit the US back in mid-March and the state of Florida when into lockdown, Carlos, a Puerto Rican furloughed because of Covid-19, living by himself in the state of Florida documented day 36 of his quarantine. A short film shot in one day that was filmed, directed and edited by Carlos while in Isolation. “I s o l a t i o n” is Carlos first film.
At Home with… @TheTimTwenty | United Kingdom | 2020 | 11’
Directors: Paul Longley, James Longley
Writer: Paul Longley
Producers: Paul Longley, James Longley
Cast: Paul Longley, Trevor Longley, James Longley, Jonny Ashdown
Synopsis: The “At Home with…” team spends some time with Timothy Rawlston, the seasoned theatre performer behind the YouTube sensation that is @TheTimTwenty. Timothy talks us through the many intricacies to being a successful YouTube star and how he has turned himself into a hugely profitable worldwide brand, all the while keeping himself out of the public eye. That is, until now.
SOLO | France | 2020 | 05’
Directors: Thierry Albert , Arthur Couvat
Producer: Thierry Albert
Cast: Jules Albert
Synopsis: Solo focuses on a 5-year-old boy left wandering on his own in the garden of an empty house. Beautifully shot in 16mm, it’s an attempt to capture the wonder of childhood boredom.
Until the very End | Germany | 2020 | 07’
Director: Markus Arens, Elisa Hock, Julian Gehrig, Stefan Brauner
Synopsis: When everything is taken from you, your life comes down to a single thought: Revenge. A Father has to choose the right path for himself to finally find peace.
Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – August 2020
S#! Talk | United Kingdom | 2020 | 06’
Director: Raquel Grela
Writer: Savannah Betts
Producers: Savannah Betts, Jasmin Greenland
Cast: Savannah Betts, Anna Rømcke Høiseth
Synopsis: S#! Talk, is a nine-part web series that follows the lives of two best friends as they hilariously navigate their way through their late 20-somethings. The series is inspired in part by actual conversations between Savannah and her real-life best friend, Ray. The episodes tactfully tackle topics often over dramaticized on screen for plot devices like mental health, sexual assault, periods, and other important questions about fighting a horse-sized-duck.
At Home with… @TheTimTwenty | United Kingdom | 2020 | 11’
Directors: Paul Longley, James Longley
Writer: Paul Longley
Producers: Paul Longley, James Longley
Cast: Paul Longley, Trevor Longley, James Longley, Jonny Ashdown
Synopsis: The “At Home with…” team spends some time with Timothy Rawlston, the seasoned theatre performer behind the YouTube sensation that is @TheTimTwenty. Timothy talks us through the many intricacies to being a successful YouTube star and how he has turned himself into a hugely profitable worldwide brand, all the while keeping himself out of the public eye. That is, until now.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – August 2020
Our Song | United States | 2020 | 12’
Director: Jordan Henderson
Writer: Kati Rausch
Producer: Kati Rausch
Cast: Kati Rausch, Ricky Rhodes
Synopsis: Our Song is an experimental comedy drama about Love, Loss and Lyrics. She loves him. He loves her. They lose each other – and the whole time they only speak in song lyrics. OUR SONG contains excerpts from the lyrics of 42 songs, and visual references to these songs, bands or music videos. From the blowing curtains in Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, and the black tears in The Rasmus’ “Justify”, to the iconic hand gesture of the Backstreet Boys. While the story is dramatic, the narration style and rhythm of the film produce an unexpected situation comedy. OUR SONG is the first short film that producer, writer and actress Kati Rausch filmed in the US.
Cuckoo! | Netherlands | 2019 | 07’
Director: Jörgen Scholtens
Writers: Jörgen Scholtens, Pepijn van Weeren
Producers: Jörgen Scholtens, Jimmy Groeneveld
Cast: Frank Lammers, Hetty Heyting, Joost Prinsen, Michael de Roos
Synopsis: Absurd comedy about a lonely man (Frank Lammers) who lives inside a cuckoo clock. Every hour he straps himself into his ejection seat and shoots through the doors of the clock. “Cuckoo!” He yells, “Cuckoo!” His work is of vital importance. The old lady who sits under the clock needs to take her medication exactly at the top of every hour. One day the man has the opportunity to win a substantial sum of money in a radio quiz. He loves gadgets and wants to buy a new computer. The only problem is that he can only dial in at the exact time he’s supposed to sit in his seat.
Big Nonsense | Belgium | 2020 | 10’
Director: Koné
Writer: Wirickx, Koné
Producer: Koné, Lekeux, Wirickx
Cast: Lekeux, Diongo, El Bateoui, Meco, Beddelem
Bumper | France | 2018 | 18’
Director: Ralantoaritsimba Nirina
Writers: Ralantoaritsimba Nirina, Ralanto Julien
Producer: Ralanto Julien
Synopsis: For many years, Max, a young man full of ambition, has been dreaming of being accepted in a prestigious school of political sciences. The day before the interview, he plans to spend the night at his grandmother’s house which is near where the oral exam will be taking place the next morning, thus hoping to be in the best mindset to succeed. But once he gets there, Max finds out his Grandma has decided to take her driver’s license again…
The Last Floor | Poland | 2020 | 08’
Director: Nataliia Shepelevych
Cast: Agnieszka Gryżewska, Błażej Wnuk
Synopsis: There are journeys big and small. Who knows where the most ordinary trip to the top floor could lead? People share staircases for years, polishing them with neverending steps. At the beginning they run and jump, but every next floor strength leaves them more and more. Will everyone hold, crawl? Nothing helps as good company. In search of the needed address, a bland young person accidentally meets another young person. Strange banalities, banal strangers. We’re going up to the top. And what at the end? A battle of chance and destiny in which the End always wins. Descent is always much fast
The Shut-in | Australia | 2020 | 06’
Directors: Eric Lieu, Maxine Curva, Jira Udomsri
Synopsis: Sherry, a single mother struggles to connect with her reclusive son but soon finds help from a mysterious nanny who changes everything through some unconventional methods.
Fortissimo | Switzerland | 2019 | 20’
Director: Janine Piguet
Writer: Janine Piguet
Producer: Thierry Pradervand
Cast: Janine Piguet, Laure Balon, Francis Coffinet, Fabien Jegoudez, Bettina Kenney, Elidan Arzoni, miami Themo
Synopsis: A pianist arrives in her new flat. But as soon as she rehearses, her neighbour tries everything possible to stop her from playing. The reason : she hates classical music. Soon enough, a sound war starts between the two women, very rapidly involving everyone in the building. When the police arrive, they witness a crowd of hysterical neighbours shouting at each other and take the side of the pianist, the only one who at that moment, after a moment of intense madness, is playing a serene Mozart piece.
Super Bois | United States | 2020 | 9’
Producers: Jessica Richards, Kimberly Stewart
Cast: Lori Alan, Alec Stitick, Kaylin Zeren
Synopsis: An indie filmmaker discovers his full potential by making a superhero movie with his brother, a young man with autism. Based on director Jon Mancinetti’s unique relationship with his brother Joel.
At Home with… @TheTimTwenty | United Kingdom | 2020 | 11’
Directors: Paul Longley, James Longley
Writer: Paul Longley
Producers: Paul Longley, James Longley
Cast: Paul Longley, Trevor Longley, James Longley, Jonny Ashdown
Synopsis: The “At Home with…” team spends some time with Timothy Rawlston, the seasoned theatre performer behind the YouTube sensation that is @TheTimTwenty. Timothy talks us through the many intricacies to being a successful YouTube star and how he has turned himself into a hugely profitable worldwide brand, all the while keeping himself out of the public eye. That is, until now.
Short Drama – Official Selection – August 2020
See the Animal | United Kingdom | 2020 | 16’
Director: Calum Marshall
Writer: Morgan Groves
Producer: Rosie Goodwin
Cast: Alex Phelps, Joe Bence , Matthew Ip Shaw
Synopsis: Jack is an audience – posing stooge in a magic show run by his long-time friends, Declan and Seamus. Jack wants a fresh start away from their reckless behaviour and Declan’s constant abuse on stage for laughs. Held back by loyalty and calculated persuasion from Seamus, Jack stays, but as the tension between the men grows Declan’s demeanour worsens. He spikes Jack with a hallucinogenic before a performance in yet another attempt to humiliate, which poses a risk during one of their riskier sword tricks.
Descent | Estonia | 2020 | 04’
Director: Helen Takkin
Writer: Helen Takkin
Producers: Kadi Freja Felt, Aili Maarja
Cast: Henessi Schmidt, Meelis Veeremets, Kadi Põder
Synopsis: When Triin closes her car door, in a moment of solitude, her depression comes crashing in, threatening to drown her.
Distant | United States | 2020 | 07’
Director: Andrew Kovac
Writer: Andrew Kovac
Producer: Andrew Kovac
Cast: Filip Kovac, Frantisek Kovac
Synopsis: A first-generation son tries to teach his immigrant father how to play football when the small talk slowly dives into a much deeper discussion about fitting in a place where he doesn’t belong.
BURNT BLUE | United States | 2020 | 14’
Director: Georgia Snow Nicholas
Writer: Georgia Snow Nicholas
Producer: Lillian Campbell
Cast: Iyyonce Love, Laura Faye, Darren Sandvig, John Fadule, Nathaniel Weiss, Eyvonne Leach, Austyn Orci
Synopsis: At some point in all of our lives we have all experienced what it is like to lose control. We have lost control of ourselves and our minds our environments and the people we love. We have struggled and we have all had to cope in our own way. Amidst the chaos that is our world in 2020, it is clear that we are all really just along for the ride. Empathizing with each other and understanding mental health has never been more important. Burnt Blue is a reflection on the uncertainty of the human condition. We jump into three different storylines, connected through the agony of losing control, and lullabied by a poem recited by a young girl. Written, directed, produced, shot and edited by women.
Lessons | United Kingdom | 2020 | 15’
Director: Jo Eaton-Kent
Writer: Jo Eaton-Kent
Producer: Jo Eaton-Kent
Cast: Abigail Middleton, Jo Eaton-Kent, Sayan Kent
Synopsis: Mid-April 2020. Hannah has arranged a video call with David. But the last time they had contact with each other, the December four months prior, newly-pregnant Hannah uncovered an illicit secret David had been keeping, forcing her to move out of their apartment and back in with her mum, leaving David to cover her rent. With the outbreak of Covid-19 and the UK’s subsequent lockdown, both of them are left in complicated financial and familial situations, with David also having moved back in with his parents. Hannah feels strongly about raising her child self-sufficiently, not reliant on her mother, but unable to work because of her pregnancy, and soon to be looking after a vulnerable newborn, she needs support if it’s going to happen at all. David is similarly anxious to retain his fiscal independence, and his income has been impacted by the lockdown. They both speak for the first time since their unceremonious break-up to try and begin a much-needed conversation about the welfare of their unborn child.
DEAD OR DIE | Japan | 2020 | 10’
Director: Pine Minegishi
Writer: Pine Minegishi
Producer: Yohei Okada
Cast: Takuya Hotori, Tsukasa Tsuchiya, Haruyo Inugami
Synopsis: Tooru works for an underworld organization to raise money for his mother’s medical expenses. One day, his boss orders him to kill a senior colleague who made a mistake. Feeling indebted to him, what will Tooru do?
The Other Side of Window | Poland | 2020 | 10’
Director: Rafał SICK Skoneczny
Writer: Agnieszka Labenz
Cast: : Anka, Łukasz , Alan , Vincent
Synopsis: It’s the story of an Armenian shown from the perspective of a nationalist family, with a behavioral context. The family prepares mentally for the Independence Day celebration. A mysterious person comes to the house for the father and the boy, who leads them to a certain place. We get info there that an Armenian has been mistaken for a Muslim and an act of metaphorical flagellation is committed on him. After the action, it turns out that the whole precedent took place thanks to the permit of people of different social profiles. Finally, the group goes to have fun, mentally returning to their lives.
Avocado | United States | 2020 | 11’
Director: Thomas Hartmann
Writer: Valencia Istratii
Producers: Thomas Hartmann and Danielle Burgess
Cast: Danielle Burgess
Synopsis: After yet another night of drinking and partying, Fiona is faced with the sobering reality that she might be an alcoholic.
Let’s talk about a talk | China | 2020 | 07’
Director: Zhou Jialin
Writer: Zhou Jialin
Producer: Zhou Jialin
Cast: Rebecca KUK
Synopsis: This is a story about communication. A woman and a man were having a talk in a Café in Beijing. The atmosphere was so intense that the conversation seemed like a battle without smoke, in which you could see all kinds of tactics. Rebuking，extorting， compromising，advance and retreat, no communicating or understanding. After the hard talk, where would the relationship go?
L A R A | United Kingdom | 2020 | 13’
Director: George Blagden
Writer: George Blagden
Cast: George Blagden
Synopsis: A man struggles to prepare for an interview, seeking help from his intelligent assistant.
Student Short – Official Selection – August 2020
Road Test | United States | 16’
Director: Christian Hurley
Writer: Christian Hurley
Producer: Lynn Pratt
Synopsis: A determined high schooler is forced to drive the worst car ever during her driver’s test, while her parents comes to terms with her growing up.
Handscape | China | 2020 | 19’
Director: Yiru Chen
Writer: Yiru Chen, Anke Bai
Producer: Kaiwen Chen
Cast: Zhenyu Tang
Synopsis: Contemporary Shanghai, summer. Xia Qing, a boy who has been wearing Cochlear Implants due to hearing impairment, has a deep love for dancing. He gains so much joy just from copying Martha Graham’s hand gestures in a dance magazine. A kid with a precocious nature, he sometimes paints his pinky nail red just for that glimpse of beauty. Yet all these passionate pursuits are misunderstood and questioned by his single, deaf mother. Given the opportunity to audition for his favorite dance company once in a blue moon, he has no choice but to return to his body–He seeks his mother’s approval and longs to overcome this obscure self-identity crisis, through the silent language on his fingertips.
LULU | United Kingdom | 2020 | 09’
Synopsis: Margaret, a grieving widow must negate a homicidal man who arrives at her late husbands funeral seeking revenge. He wants one thing, to kill the man that inadvertently killed his daughter, but there’s one glaring problem, he’s already dead.
Faced | United States | 2020 | 03’
Director: Dayoung Hwang
Writer: Dayoung Hwang
Producer: Dayoung Hwang
Synopsis: Faced is a 2D animated film that shows the process of obtaining facial features in a unique and imaginative way. During this process, the main character Rita goes through struggles after realizing she is unhappy with her facial features. And as she struggles throughout the animation in search of ideal facial features, she realizes her desire to look pretty is unsatisfiable.
Under the Flag | United States | 2019 | 15’
Director: Jiawei Cheng
Writers: Jiawei Cheng, Dhruv Kanungo
Producers: Danwen Lei, Fernando Barajas
Cast: Michelle Chung , Leann Lei
Synopsis: A driven and conscientious girl at China’s premier dance school gets the lead position in a prestigious performance but struggles to accept it after she learns that her mother has bribed the teacher to buy her the part.
Left Unsaid | United Kingdom | 2020 | 04’
Director: Mei Lian Hoe
Writer: Mei Lian Hoe
Synopsis: Left Unsaid is an experimental animated film about cultural dysphoria and the disconnect between grandfather and grandchild caused by an ever-growing language barrier.
Aria | China | 2019 | 12’
Director: Ziyi Jin
Writer: Ziyi Jin
Producer: Ziyi Jin
Cast: Pricilla Jin Chung, Jamie Zhang
Regime change | Russian Federation | 2020 | 19’
Director: Yana Sad
Writer: Yana Sad
Producer: Moscow School of New Cinema
Cast: Vadim Sokolov, Ivan Chigasov
Synopsis: Two brothers live in a tiny house on the outskirts of a small town. They are young, one of them, Oleg, is special, being autistic. They follow a strict schedule. Ivan takes care of his brother and it is difficult for him to have his own life. Once Ivan cheated Oleg, left him and went out on a date.
Burt Bassett & The Life Satisfaction Survey | United Kingdom | 2020 | 22’
Director: Elliot Roberts
Writer: Matt Prentice
Producer: Elliot Roberts
Cast: David Price, Nicola Brome
Synopsis: 60 year old Gardener Burt Bassett finds himself in a peculiar situation. Within his new environment he is forced to take a life satisfaction survey, ultimately helping him accept his new reality.
Naam Kya Hai? | India | 2020 | 15’
Director: Tejas Shukul
Writer: Tejas Shukul
Producer: Tejas Shukul
Cast: Gagan Gupta, Sanjeev Sharma, Sikandar Agarwal, Ruchika Lohiya, Karan Kandara, Rahul Dagur, Jamshed Coyaji
Synopsis: Set in the 1992 riots in Mumbai, “Naam Kya Hai?” revolves around a distraught police officer trying to avenge the murder of his wife amidst the communal tension in the city.
A jag in the duplex system | Germany | 2020 | 15’
Director: Valerie Knill
Writer: Valerie Knill
Producers: Juliana Pfeifer, Valerie Knill
Cast: Frank Droese , Ina Geraldine Guy
Synopsis: Heartache, cocaine and dreams: The chronicle of a one-night-stand.
The Mare | Sweden | 2020 | 08’
Director: David Jazaee
Writer: David Jazaee
Producers: Per Sandberg, Isabelle Santiago, Martin Åberg, David Jazaee, Jenny Kihlström
Cast: Petter Alfredson, Erik Henebratt, Linn Ehrner
Synopsis: Involved in criminal activities, Josef finds himself in a helpless and overwhelming state of anxiety. After preparing for a big heist he heads home and prepares himself for sleep, knowing how the darkness inside of him will haunt him through the night.
Referral | Hungary | 2019 | 17’
Director: Annabella Schnabel
Writer: Annabella Schnabel
Producers: Miklós Bosnyák, Árpád Szirmai, Gábor Rajna, Attila Faragó, Balázs Rozgonyi
Cast: Lili Erdős, Zsombor Ertl, Márta Martin, Erika Kiss, Andrea Závory, Györgyné Czeiter, Iván László Nádasi, Barbara Szitás
Synopsis: A teenage girl’s coming of age story through the maze of healthcare’s bureaucracy: Lili wants birth control pills because she plans to lose her virginity.
Rosie | United Kingdom | 2019 | 15’
Director: Otto Hussain
Writers: Otto Hussain, Kacper Jaszcz
Producer: Lisa Landi
Cast: Emma Abbott-Smithin , Annabel Hammond, Georgie Rhys
Synopsis: Izzy, an idealistic social worker, attempts to untangle the case of Rosie; a child with violent behavioural issues who is struggling to fit into her current foster placement. As the case unfolds, she begins to realise that the problem is actually the indifferent machine that foster care has become.
Lip Reader: Game Of Detective | China | 2020 | 29’
Director: Tanxuan Shi
Writer: Tanxuan Shi
Producers: Tanxuan Shi, Peipei Duan
Cast: Ke Zijing, Li Yixiang, Cao Xinran, William Joen, Sun Yiwen, James Nichols
Synopsis: Lin is a college student who has a severe hearing impairment, but she has a fantastic talent for reading lip languages. She is famous in the paparazzi industry, and also she served as an “intelligence analyst” for a paparazzi company in her spare time, reading out the information from a large number of videos taken by the paparazzi, and finding out the valuable clues…One day, Lin and her new paparazzo partner Zhou photographed a popular Chinese actress Lulu who’s coming to Hollywood to attend the red carpet of Oscar. But unexpectedly Lulu’s luxuries diamond necklace which she will wear it to Oscar and values more than twenty million dollars mysteriously disappeared in her villa. Only 48 hours before Oscar, Lin tries to find clues from the video that they had photographed in these few days. But at the same time… Danger is closing to her…
Metamorphosis | Ukraine | 2019 | 07’
Director: Anna Rudichenko
Writer: Anna Rudichenko
Producer: Anna Rudichenko
Cast: Oleg Kuznetsov, Anna Rudichenko
Synopsis: Gregor is a soviet WW2 veteran and breadwinner for his elderly Father and young sister. In a loose adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” Gregor’s life is suddenly in turmoil after a tragic event pits his family against each other.
Until the very End | Germany | 2020 | 07’
Directors: Markus Arens, Elisa Hock, Julian Gehrig, Stefan Brauner
Synopsis: When everything is taken from you, your life comes down to a single thought: Revenge. A Father has to choose the right path for himself to finally find peace.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – August 2020
The Flame | Italy | 2019 | 19’
Director: Giacomo Talamini
Writer: Giacomo Talamini
Producer: Valentina Paggiarin
Cast: Jacopo Barzaghi, Martina Ambrosino, Gianluigi Meggiorin, Carla Camporese, Matteo Tagliaferro, Andrea Pellegrino
Synopsis: XVIII century. Winter is upon a tiny and remote mountain community. Young Elk, son of the village chief, suffers from an apparently incurable illness. As the adults leave the village looking for a remedy, leaving Elk and a few other kids alone, a sinister entity emerged from their people’s legends begins to torment them. A menace only Elk is prepared to face.
Dominion Evolucion | Argentina | 2016 | 09’
Director: Lucas Zoppi
Writer: Lucas Zoppi
Producers: Maia Vitulich , Kari Quelin
Cast: Omar Ferreri , Ana Paula Pordomingo
Synopsis: Argentina, 2050. Infected scientist Victor Bertaum, isolated in his laboratory, tries to find a cure for the Sedga virus that devastated two thirds of the world population, while remaining in a cryogenesis state to survive. From a radio broadcast, he learns that the Rossum Corporation is sending special agents who possess the cure of the virus to save the survivors but he dosen’t trust in the corporation and wants to create his own cure. After several failed attempts, Bertaum runs out of supplies and gives up his research, preparing to die infected. At that moment Randa, an agent from Rossum, arrives to inject the cure. Bertaum decides to accept the Rossum vaccine and when he is injected by Randa he realizes that she actually come to kill him and use his brain for the benefit of the Corporation.
Short Horror – Official Selection – August 2020
WTNY Bienvenida a Nueva York | Spain | 2020 | 15’
Director: Marta Márquez
Writer: Marta Márquez
Producer: Marta Márquez
Cast: Liliana Velasquez, Braden Matthews
Synopsis: Sara has just arrived in NYC from Colombia, without anytime to rest she is the witness to a crime. From this moment on Sara has to run frantically through the city. A city that she does not know in a language she does not speak or understand to find safety.
The Mark | United States | 2019 | 15’
Director: Devin E. Haqq
Writer: Devin E. Haqq
Producer: Korey Jackson
Cast: Catherine Curtin, Kana Hatakeyama, Maho Honda
Synopsis: A young single mother struggles against ominous forces, whom she believes are bent on taking her infant daughter. This disturbing female-driven narrative stars three phenomenal women from the de facto Netflix Ensemble, Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black), Kana Hatakeyama (Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Maho Honda (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Maniac).
Segregatio | Puerto Rico | 2020 | 13’
Director: Jowy Santiago
Writer: Joctan Hernandez
Producer: Joctan Hernandez
Cast: Carola Garcia, Hector Sánchez, Amanda Méndez
Synopsis: A priest and two nuns are discussing, while playing brisca, if they are going to save the people that are dying outside the church during and apocalypse,
Scorching Sunday Sale | United Kingdom |2020 | 06’
Director: Owen R Barbet
Writer: Rory Tasker
Producer: Faith Starie
Cast: Peter Taverner, Lewis Edward, Elizabeth Grace Foster, Charlotte Baylis, Beverly Stratford, Graham Russell, Shona Collins, Marcus Forde, Abimanne Selvaragah
Synopsis: A charismatic and fraudulent Salesman attempts to sell his new invention, an electronic self-heating jacket. However, sinister forces have other plans for him and his beloved product.
MUSHI 虫 | Australia | 2019 | 12’
Director: Odin Jurray
Writer: Odin Jurray
Producer: John Hipwell
Cast: Sheena Reyes, Dale Crawford
Synopsis: As a nested parasite rapidly grows inside the skull of a young woman, she has one night to determine her fate.
Hospital Dumpster Divers | Norway | 2020 | 25’
Director: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
Writer: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
Producers: Øystein Nesheim, Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
Cast: Thomas Aske Berg, Ingar Helge Gimle, Monika Solheim, Linda Tveiten, Sturla Alvsvag
Synopsis: Chaos breaks out at the hospital, when a mutant dumpster troll is accidentally brought to life, as a result of shoddy waste management, by the shuffle dancing young man Rasmus.
Dumped | Canada | 2020 | 22’
Director: Miguel de Plante
Writer: Miguel de Plante
Producers: Laurent Dansereau, Kino Montreal
Cast: Charles-Aubey Houde, Magali Roche, Chrystelle Quintin
Synopsis: We all have our ways of living a breakup. Is there really a limit on what we can do to find peace again ?
What We Found Out There | Canada | 09’
Director: Karl Kimmel
Writer: Karl Kimmel
Producer: Karl Kimmel
Cast: Zachary Loewen, Dayleigh Nelson, Sean Collins, Pascal Belanger, Tara Gothreau
Synopsis: Two friends find more than they bargained for out on their hike in the wilderness
Stop-Motion/Time-Lapse – Official Selection – August 2020
BENCH | United Kingdom | 2020 | 02’
Director: Rich Webber
Writer: Rich Webber
Producer: N/A
Cast: Rich Webber
Synopsis: A short film about sharing….
Mother didn’t know | Norway | 2020 | 12’
Director: Anita Killi
Writers: Anita Killi, Marianne Bundgaard Nielsen
Producers: Anita Killi, Marita Mayers
Synopsis: This is a poetic fable about a young depressed girl. Someone who wants to be invisible, cares for her and help by sacrificing a Robin with a broken wing.
Luba | United States | 2020 | 14’
Director: Helena Giersz
Writer: Helena Giersz
Producer: Helena Giersz
Synopsis: An old woman lives in a village with not much but her husband and her beloved chicken, Luba. When her chicken passes away on Christmas Day, the woman is only comforted when her husband gifts her an egg Luba laid before her passing. After the egg hatches, the old woman’s unconditional affection towards the growing chick causes her to lay a golden egg. Although the golden egg is a reflection of love’s miracles, greediness in the community leads to the chicken being stolen. Thankfully the woman successfully hides the egg from eager hands, but in mourning her second loss, she wraps the egg hoping she can exchange it for the chicken. While coddling the egg she’s surprised by a genie that emerges to grant her a wish that can ultimately heal her community torn by greed.
Trailer – Official Selection – August 2020
Rum Go! | United States | 2020 | 02’
Director: Markus Thorington
Writer: Markus Thorington
Producer: Working Brilliantly
Synopsis: The familiar tale, of the oddest affair . . .
SOS, you’re 30 and still single? | France | 2019 | 04’
Director: Amy LYNSSIA
Writer: Amy LYNSSIA
Producer: Amy LYNSSIA
Cast: Morgane BOJIKOV, Cindy MASSOTEAU, Amy LYNSSIA
Synopsis: « I », Parisian in her thirties, got dumped just after New Year’s Day. Faced with family, friends and social pressures, she decides to take her love life in hand.
