SHORT TO THE POINT – DECEMBER 2019 AWARDS
BEST FILM
Chlorine | Australia | 2019 | 18’
Director: Melissa Anastasi
Writer: Melissa Anastasi
Producer: Jessica Carrera
Cast: Marlo Kelly, Clementine Bell, Ezekiel Simat
Synopsis: In a desperate bid for attention, 11-year-old Keira compulsively steals from pregnant women at her local aquatic centre. But her actions put her at risk of losing the only family she has.
BEST DIRECTOR
Trespassers | United States | 2019 | 31’
Director: Yasmine Asha
Writer: Yasmine Asha
Producers: Yasmine Asha, Navid Navid
Cast: Belle Adams, Jamila Hernandez, Jonathan Freeman, Adam Dorsey, Paul Bond, Barbara Lee Bragg, Luca Sammarcelli
Synopsis: “A young, single mother struggles to make ends meet. Unexpected help comes from the undocumented teen Sofia, who not only saves Crystal’s life, but also makes her question her anti-immigrant sentiment.”
BEST SCREENPLAY
M O R I T U R I | France | 2019 | 17’
Director: Léo Lebesgue
Writers: Léo Lebesgue, Fareed Kairon
Producers: Léo Lebesgue, James Gentry
Cast: Leonor Oberson, Rodolphe Lechat
Synopsis: Marie is desperately waiting for a man she thinks she will never see again.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Chlorine | Australia | 2019 | 18’
Actress: Clementine Bell
Director: Melissa Anastasi
Writer: Melissa Anastasi
Producer: Jessica Carrera
Cast: Marlo Kelly, Clementine Bell, Ezekiel Simat
Synopsis: In a desperate bid for attention, 11-year-old Keira compulsively steals from pregnant women at her local aquatic centre. But her actions put her at risk of losing the only family she has.
BEST LEADING ACTOR
Birthday | United States | 2019 | 14’
Actor: Joseph Lopez
Director: Mojtaba Mirshekari
Writer: Mojtaba Mirshekari
Producers: Sarahi Salazar, Keegan O’Brien
Cast: Joseph Lopez, Luana Fitzgerald, Dillon LeMaster, Chris Conley, Catherine Lane, Ariel Jay
Synopsis: Frank tries to celebrate his 70th birthday by throwing a party and inviting his friends, family and neighbors, but no one comes to his party except some new neighbors. They spend a great time together, but not everything goes as he expected.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Chlorine | Australia | 2019 | 18’
DoP: Emma Paine
Director: Melissa Anastasi
Writer: Melissa Anastasi
Producer: Jessica Carrera
Cast: Marlo Kelly, Clementine Bell, Ezekiel Simat
Synopsis: In a desperate bid for attention, 11-year-old Keira compulsively steals from pregnant women at her local aquatic centre. But her actions put her at risk of losing the only family she has.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Stoners / Slices of Infinity | Portugal | 2019 | 08’
Director: Fred Miranda
Writer: Mariana Emauz
Producer: Colisão Studios
Cast: Maria Carlos, Luis Malaquias
Synopsis: Conceptual Thriller homaging the Portuguese Marble.
BEST EDITING
Unblinded | Sweden | 2020 | 13’
Editor: Nozhan Radnahad, Paul Jerndal
Director: Paul Jerndal
Writer: Paul Jerndal
Producer: Paul Jerndal
Cast: Frida Gustavsson , David Larsson
Synopsis: Emma who is struggling with depression gets embroiled in a passionate relationship with Mark, an egocentric pop star. Her vulnerability and his recklessness reach a climax one evening when Emma finds the strength to resist.
BEST NARRATIVE
Trespassers | United States | 2019 | 31’
Director: Yasmine Asha
Writer: Yasmine Asha
Producers: Yasmine Asha, Navid Navid
Cast: Belle Adams, Jamila Hernandez, Jonathan Freeman, Adam Dorsey, Paul Bond, Barbara Lee Bragg, Luca Sammarcelli
Synopsis: “A young, single mother struggles to make ends meet. Unexpected help comes from the undocumented teen Sofia, who not only saves Crystal’s life, but also makes her question her anti-immigrant sentiment.”
BEST COMEDY
THE PLUNGE | United Kingdom | 2019 | 10’
Director: Simon Ryninks
Writer: Omar Khan
Producer: Tibo Travers
Cast: Lydia Wilson, Omar Khan Synopsis: After a night of passion Emily tells Jay that she’d like to use a strap-on. Scared of losing a girl he has a connection with, Jay reluctantly agrees.
BEST DRAMA
INNOCENCE | United Kingdom | 2019 | 20’
Director: Ben Reid
Writers: Ben Reid, Owen Gower
Producers: Tibo Travers, Ken Ross
Cast: Tommy Jessop, Alice Lowe, Lawrence Spellman, Richard Glover, Beth Asher, Faraz Ayub Synopsis: When a worker falls to his death at a care home, it appears to be a terrible accident. But when a detective questions a young man with Down syndrome spotted at the scene, they uncover a crime more shocking than anyone imagined.
BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI
The Light Thief | Spain | 2015 | 19’
Director: Eva Daoud
Writer: Eva Daoud
Synopsis: When the essence of Love is snatched from someone and locked away in a vessel with no name , what happens to those persons and how do they change? How can the broken hearted souls break that curse and recover from their pain? Can they regain their spark by overcoming dark supernatural forces?
BEST STUDENT
Blindman’s buff | Poland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Filip Twardowski
Writer: Filip Twardowski
Producer: Lodz Film School
Cast: Zofia Bukowska
Synopsis: A lonely girl is playing the game of blindman’s buff. Heartless faith throws her into memories of both carefree times and brutal reality of war.
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR
Mammoth | China | 2019 | 15’
Director: Jiamin Huang
Writer: Jiamin Huang
Producer: Zeyi Chen
Cast: Jiayi Li
Synopsis: A 17-year-old girl Chen Jialai, who is going to participate in a cheerleading competition, suddenly learns the death of her classmate. Under the thinking and perplexity about the nature of death, she needs to make a choice.
BEST ANIMATION
Oh, Darling! | Germany | 2019 | 05’
Director: Cornelius Joksch
Synopsis: Obsessed with birds of all sorts, clumsy but loveable loner Andy finds himself lucky one day, when out of nowhere the most stunning bird he’s ever seen lands on his windowsill. Tempted by the outlook of getting recognition amongst fellow bird-aficionados, Andy gets a little carried away…
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
Stoners / Slices of Infinity | Portugal | 2019 | 08’
Director: Fred Miranda
Writer: Mariana Emauz
Producer: Colisão Studios
Cast: Maria Carlos, Luis Malaquias
Synopsis: Conceptual Thriller homaging the Portuguese Marble.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Said No Lover | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Miguel Rodrick
Writer: Miguel Rodrick
Producer: Miguel Rodrick
Synopsis: Music Video for the song Said No Lover by Aaron Gibson & Nahuel Bronzini. A song about leaving everything you love, and the demons that follow you.
BEST MINI SHORT
A Map of the World | United Kingdom | 2013 | 03’
Director: Vera Graziadei
Writer: Vera Graziadei
Producer: Vera Graziadei
Cast: Oliver Birch, Nikolai Graziadei, Harper Gildener
Synopsis: Single fatherhood is weighing heavy on Ed and the state of the world is not helping. In order to distract his exuberant children, he sets them an impossible task – of putting together a map of the world, that he cuts up in little pieces. His kids’ solution to solving the puzzle, gives him an unexpected ray of hope.
BEST NO/LOW BUDGET
Reoccurring | United Kingdom | 2020 | 14’
Directors: Clemente Lohr, Toby Elwes, Alessio Marzilli, José Solórzano Híjar
Writer: Clemente Lohr
Producers: Clemente Lohr , Toby Elwes
Cast: Ola Forman, Clemente Lohr, Paolo Marconi, Alessandra Celani, Lorién Sauret, Ximena Romo
‘Reoccurring’ is the combined work of three independent film crews in London, Rome and Mexico City. This multilingual, zero budget, film drifts between locations yet follows a single universal story. With glimpses of young love, parental frustration and social angst, ‘Reoccurring’ exposes a shared human experience across international borders.
