SHORT TO THE POINT AUGUST 2021 AWARDS
BEST FILM
Suburban tale | Hungary | 2021 | 23’
Director: Péter Goretic
Writers: Kocsányi András, Péter Goretic
Producers: Zsolt Kapin, Török Éva
Cast: Katalin Ágoston
Synopsis: In a peaceful neighbourhood, somewhere in the suburbs lives Patrik Kévés and his pregnant wife Mariann. Just like every other night, Mariann looks forward to see his public safety officer husband after his duty. But this night turns out to be much different to every other. Patrik tells his wife, he is going to leave her. The woman loses her temper and hit her husband in the head with a frozen catfish. Patrik drops to the ground, and our story takes a few other interesting turns…
BEST DIRECTOR
Apibeurzdé | France | 2020 | 20’
Director: Basile Charpentier
Producers: William Rougier, Swann Riemain
Cast: Philippe Rebbot
Synopsis: Pascal, 45 year old divorcee, leads a remote and outlandish life in the deep Corsican countryside. Today is the birthday of his beloved son. Pascal still doesn’t have a present. Three pennies in one pocket, his love and good will in the other, Pascal mounts on his moped accompanied by his dog and sets out to find a small gift.
BEST SCREENPLAY
Creatures of the night | Greece | 2021 | 16’
Writer: Memi Koupa
Director: Memi Koupa
Producer: Fenia Cossovitsa Blonde Audiovisual
Cast: Orestis Tziovas, Kostas Berikopoulos, Anna Kalaitzidou, Nasia Sydeta, Anastasis Laoulakos, Christos Kragiopoulos
Synopsis: Athens 2022. A series of natural disasters and massive disruptions has left the citizens of Greece’s capital city tormented by angst and insomnia that persists for months now. Amidst all this a charitable robber and anarchist – the Pink Bunny – is roaming the dark, empty city streets. No one can really tell whether this elusive night creature is just another urban legend or if he really exists. During one night, a few sleepless Athenians will experience the rare sighting of the film’s hero and for the first time in a while, they will feel connected in their hearts. Together they will finally fall asleep.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Suburban tale | Hungary | 2021 | 23’
Actress: Katalin Ágoston
Director: Péter Goretic
Writers: Kocsányi András, Péter Goretic
Producers: Zsolt Kapin, Török Éva
Cast: Katalin Ágoston
Synopsis: In a peaceful neighbourhood, somewhere in the suburbs lives Patrik Kévés and his pregnant wife Mariann. Just like every other night, Mariann looks forward to see his public safety officer husband after his duty. But this night turns out to be much different to every other. Patrik tells his wife, he is going to leave her. The woman loses her temper and hit her husband in the head with a frozen catfish. Patrik drops to the ground, and our story takes a few other interesting turns…
BEST LEADING ACTOR
Apibeurzdé | France | 2020 | 20’
Actor: Philippe Rebbot
Director: Basile Charpentier
Producers: William Rougier, Swann Riemain
Cast: Philippe Rebbot
Synopsis: Pascal, 45 year old divorcee, leads a remote and outlandish life in the deep Corsican countryside. Today is the birthday of his beloved son. Pascal still doesn’t have a present. Three pennies in one pocket, his love and good will in the other, Pascal mounts on his moped accompanied by his dog and sets out to find a small gift.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Woes of Angele // Les maux d’Angèle | France | 2020 | 24’
Cinematographer: Thomas Manche
Director: François Zaïdi
Writer: Léa Deneuville
Producers: François Zaïdi, Céline Dabin
Cast: Jean-Marie Lhomme, Deirdre Zaïdi, Léa Deneuville
Synopsis: The 8 years old Angèle lives alone with her uncle Tom, after the tragic loss of her father, while her mother’s health declines. As he also struggles with his own demons, the girl tries to mend her failing speech, helped by female figures that remind her of her mother, soon to be gone.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
RAW | United States | 2020 | 11’
Production Designer: Traci Hays
Director: Drake Shannon
Writer: Drake Shannon
Producer: Joanna Koss
Cast: Anja Akstin
Synopsis: During a military patrol, past and present are blurred by a horrifying transgression.
BEST EDITING
RAW | United States | 2020 | 11’
Editor: Christine Park
Director: Drake Shannon
Writer: Drake Shannon
Producer: Joanna Koss
Cast: Anja Akstin
Synopsis: During a military patrol, past and present are blurred by a horrifying transgression.
BEST NARRATIVE
Wichita | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Sergine Dumais
Writer: Bo Price
Producer: Bo Price
Cast: Maxim Roy, Jeremy Sisto
Synopsis: Sara is in bed with her lover when her husband calls. When he asks for something in his sock drawer, she runs home, stalling for time, asking endless questions about Wichita, Kansas.
BEST DRAMA
Nostos | Mexico | 2021 | 29’
Director: Javier Mercado Bellato
Writer: Javier Mercado Bellato
Producer: Andrea Celeste Padilla
Cast: Waldo Facco, Brayan Castro
Synopsis: Carlos is a boy who lives at the coast with his mother. By the unexpected arrival of a stranger, Carlos is forced to change his life. From one day to another, the thing he loves the most is taken away from him. Therefore, he is obliged to share his life with a person he profoundly mistrusts.
BEST COMEDY
CATARINA | France | 2021 | 17’
Director: Pierre AMSTUTZ ROCH
Writer: Pierre Pierre AMSTUTZ ROCH
Producers: Olivier BERLEMONT, Emilie Dubois, Emmanuel Gétaz
Synopsis: Ruined and left by his wife, Francis is ready to try everything he can. With the help of his friend Simon, he decides to kidnap the wife of the man who conned him, Alex. That guy is crazy about Catarina and keeps telling he would do anything for her. The duo of good-for-nothing somehow manages to kidnap the young woman. The problem is Catarina is actually a Maltese dog, and they just kidnapped Marie, the dogsitter.
BEST ADVENTURE/ACTION
X-Mas on Fire | Germany | 2020 | 12’
Director: Florian Frerichs
Writer: Florian Frerichs
Producer: Florian Frerichs
Cast: Steven E. de Souza
Synopsis: A heist on Christmas Eve going horribly wrong.
BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI
Erased | Australia | 2021 | 15’
Director: Gabriela Loza
Writer: Gabriela Loza
Producers: Gabriela Loza, Ruth Sligo, Harriet McKern
Cast: Johnny Light, Lauren Orrell, Aria Newton, Mary Regan, Lisa Bailey, Robert Lee, Nick O’Rourke, Eugene Raggio
Synopsis: Eric and Cate live and work on Mars and must fulfil their contract to the all-powerful Erasure Institute. Technology tracks their every word and action, while a mysterious humanoid voice directs their movements. Cate, increasingly haunted by inexplicable memories, longs to return to Earth. Eric struggles to support her through her inner turmoil. The Erasure Institute promises to remove pain and suffering through a painless but permanent procedure, which is “encouraged and sometimes enforced.” Eric is disturbed by an encounter with a woman whose dying words are “don’t erase me”. He begins to suspect that erasure has a darker side. At the same time, Cate is grasping for a lifeline to free her from her mental torment and return her to Earth. Cate begins to believe that voluntary erasure is her only way out. Can love be erased?
BEST STUDENT
BAMI | Belgium | 2021 | 05’
Director: Eline vanderbemden
Cast: Debbie Christiaens, Inge Henrotay, Tyrone Westerlink, Johan van Herck, Maite Redal, Lotte Debruyne, Hebe Roosen
Synopsis: A loving grandmother gets everything ready for dinner with her big family, but this is so much work that she literally has to grow extra limbs. As everything goes wrong in the kitchen, the grandmother gets more and more stressed. She turns into a monster, but with the help of her family, she can turn back into herself.
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR
Being a Ghost | Switzerland | 2021 | 19’
Director: Sebastian Friedmann
Writer: Sebastian Friedmann
Cast: Nicolas Roussi, Jean Winiger, Julie Bugnard
Synopsis: An encounter between two ghosts in a spa. Serge realizes what has happened to him. Martial disapproves of this young rebel who’s disrupting his normal routine. Will they be able to get along?
BEST CHILDREN
Little Warrior | Taiwan | 2020 | 14’
Director: Yen-Chun Chen
Writer: Yen-Chun Chen
Producers: Ting-An Lin, Shu-Wei Hsu
Cast: Yu-Xiang Zhu, Ophelia Ho
Synopsis: The ten-year-old boy took his first chance to stay at home alone, because his mother couldn’t take care of him due to overtime work. For the first time being alone in an empty room, the boy could only stay with his favorite doll. He became more and more scared and even had the illusion. At this moment, he tried his best to fight against fear.
BEST ANIMATION
Why Do Butchers Close So Early? | United Kingdom | 2021 | 04’
Director: Inez Skilling
Writer: Geronimo Bennington-Poulter
Producers: Emma Lazenby, Jeremy Routledge, Sophie Freeman, Jess Bartlett
Cast: Danny Kirrane
Synopsis: Why Do Butchers Close So Early is a film written by Geronimo Bennington-Poulter and directed by Inez Skilling. Told through 2D Animation, it is the story of a butcher consumed by the horror of his trade. Yet, through the sinister monologue, can a different, perhaps even more unsettling tale be unpicked?
BEST DOCUMENTARY
First Week Out | United States | 2021 | 21’
Director: Charles Fritschner
Producers: Dugan Bridges, Remo Wakeford, Erica Hilbert
Cast: Larry Williams, Lee Robbins, Dudley Arnold, Tony Kitchens, Thomas “Hutch” Hutchinson
Synopsis: Larry Williams spent the last 42 years in prison. We follow his first week of freedom.
In 1979, Larry Williams entered prison and was released 42 years later. FIRST WEEK OUT is a short documentary (21 minutes) that follows Larry’s pivotal first week of freedom. Follow Larry in his first week out as he tries to make sense of his past, navigates life in a re-entry home, reunites with an old prison friend, applies for a job, meets with a new mentor, and forges a path forward. Research has shown that the first week out of prison for formerly incarcerated men and women will define their future success or failure. After serving their sentences, it is vital for individuals to have an opportunity to become a functioning member of society. Every week there are more than 10,000 people in America like Larry experiencing their first week out of prison. Within three years, two out of three won’t make it and will end up back in prison. We wanted to tell Larry’s story to encourage viewers to join the thousands of people and organizations across the country helping individuals like Larry beat the odds.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
Hidden Identities | Germany | 2021 | 02’
Director: Markus Miarka
Synopsis: Hidden identities is an Experimental short about a painter, dancer, and musician named Selassie. The film introduces a song called “Never Seen Before” from his new mixtape Hidden identities.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Ride | Spain | 2021 | 04’
Director: Jaume Porcel Cladera
Producer: Jaume Porcel Cladera
Cast: Dominic Massó, Tino Lucena, Ferchu Vallejos, Juan David Ayora
Synopsis: A music video that aims to demonstrate the fragility between life and death and how human connections are sometimes more important than external factors. By playing with what is and isn’t reality the concept of this music video hopes to evoke restlessness in the viewer and complement the song “Ride” which it is based off of.
BEST MINI SHORT
Slurp | France | 2021 | 03’
Director: Jules Jolly
Writer: Jules Jolly
Producer: Vincent Vermandel
Cast: Margaux palyska, Bastien Bouillon
Synopsis: A couple at the table. Isn’t diner the best time to say things ?
BEST LOW/NO BUDGET
Danny Boy | United States | 13’
Director: Cory DeMeyers
Writer: Sammy Horowitz
Producers: Cory DeMeyers, Create and Destroy, Crashsite Films
Cast: Jett Jansen, Sammy Horowitz, Sari Sanchez, Adam Pasen
Synopsis: Old-school Francis and his new-school accomplice Danny have it all planned out: a heist to make them rich, thanks to inside information that their friend Stevie B has provided. Only plans are apt to change, along with Francis and Danny’s relationship, when homophobic attitudes and murderous tendencies meet in a head-on collision.
BEST DEBUT
The Gambling City | Sri Lanka | 2020 | 16’
Director: Prageeth Maniyangama
Writer: Mola Senevirathne
Producer: Nuwan Alwis
Cast: Daya Wayaman, Chamara Priyasad, kumari Dissanayake
Synopsis: “The Gambling City” short movie unveils the unflinching reality behind a funeral taking place within a highly underprivileged lumpen working class community, settled in the shanty shelters of the coastal belt in the city of Colombo. They live in the ghettoized outskirts of a futuristic dreamscape, with just a walking distance to the largest economic urban project of South Asia; ‘The Port City’ and to which the gigantic shadows of all the noble ministers’, judges’ and president’s fall, whereas these humans are born even without the right for fulfilling the basic exigencies of their lives, except their innate right for voting for their rulers. An old man in the community suddenly passes away and a petty bourgeois merchant in the coffin selling business, along with his helping hand grabs the opportunity of organizing his funeral on behalf of his family members. Eventually, the funeral turns out to be a ‘great gambling feast’ of the ‘merchant-vultures’ and the wily gamblers of the area. The corpse of a dead man claims a great capitalistic value in the gambling city. On the other hand, life leaves no choice for the living, other than bidding even the last thousand notes left in their pockets for the mega gamble in order to survive till tomorrow. As the police seize the place, the gamblers flee away while at last the inert corpse of the dotard gets arrested as the accused for the illegal gambling business. Thereupon, the old man’s wife and the son engage in a relentless struggle with the symbolic law of the police institution for granting the bail for their beloved’s body before it rots inside the jail, delineating the tragedy of such disadvantaged social outcasts who are victimized within the contemporary socio-legal structures in the country.
BEST STOP-MOTION/TIME-LAPSE
TimeSpace2 | China | 2020 | 04’
Director: Yugao Zheng
Writer: Yugao Zheng
Producer: Yugao Zheng
Cast: Coraline Ko
Synopsis: With daily objects, I create a tiny world to reflect our life during the hardest moment during the breakout, and fill with dreams.
