SHORT TO THE POINT – AUGUST 2020 AWARDS
BEST FILM
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…
BEST DIRECTOR
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.
BEST SCREENPLAY
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.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Bumper | France | 2018 | 18’
Actress: Marie-Pierre Casey
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…
BEST LEADING ACTOR
Archibald’s Syndrome | France | 19’
Actor: Tom Hudson
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…
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Archibald’s Syndrome | France | 19’
Cinematographer: Laurent Bares
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…
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Cuckoo! | Netherlands | 2019 | 07’
Set Designer: Lotte Loos
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.
BEST EDITING
BURNT BLUE | United States | 2020 | 14’
Editor: Emily Trio
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, Angel Prater
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.
BEST NARRATIVE
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…
BEST COMEDY
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…
BEST DRAMA
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.
BEST HORROR
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.
BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI
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.
BEST STUDENT
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.
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR
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.
BEST CHILDREN SHORT
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.
BEST ANIMATION
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.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
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.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
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.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
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.
BEST MINI SHORT
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.
BEST LOW/NO BUDGET
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.
BEST SERIES (WEB/TV)
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.
BEST COMMERCIAL/AD/TVC
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.
BEST STOP-MOTION/TIME-LAPSE
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.
BEST TRAILER
Rum Go! Trailer| United States | 2020 | 02’
Director: Markus Thorington
Writer: Markus Thorington
Producer: Working Brilliantly
Synopsis: The familiar tale, of the oddest affair . . .
