SHORT TO THE POINT – MARCH 2020 AWARDS
BEST FILM
The Next One | Czech Republic | 2020 | 15’
Director: Dominik György
Writer: Dominik György
Producer: Dominik György
Cast: Lesana Sovičová, Jana Krajčiová, Ludmila Jakubův Synopsis: About men without men.
BEST DIRECTOR
Pastel | Switzerland | 16’
Director: Michael Guillod
Writer: Michael Guillod
Cornland Studio Sàrl
Nathalie Sabato, Yann Philipona
Synopsis: Elisabeth catches her son James kissing a young man. She now faces a life struggle. She decides to fight for what she believes to be sickness and cure her only son from his presumed homosexuality. During the process of the conversion therapy, what she believes to be the cure, things get clearer. She begins to realise that appearances can be deceiving…
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Painting | Sweden | 2020 | 07’
Director: Dan Jonsson
Writer: Jonathan Norberg
Producer: Jonathan Norberg
Cast: Maria Forslin, Jonas Radehorn, Kattis Melander, Christer Ölén
Synopsis: Malin and Alex are invited to dinner with their new neighbors. But it turns out the neighbors have a hidden agenda.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
The Next One | Czech Republic | 2020 | 15’
Actress: Lesana Sovičová
Director: Dominik György
Writer: Dominik György
Producer: Dominik György
Cast: Lesana Sovičová, Jana Krajčiová, Ludmila Jakubův
Synopsis: About men without men.
BEST LEADING ACTOR
Sycamore | Turkey | 2019 | 15’
Actor: Mahmut Gökgöz
Cinematographer: Erkan Șimșir-Gokhan Deniz
Director: Mehmet Tığlı
Writer: Mehmet Tığlı
Producer: Erkan Şimşir
Cast: Mahmut Gökgöz, Barış Aksavaş, Sefa Turan
Synopsis: An old man spends the day wandering the streets of Istanbul. He communicates with the trees and seagulls rather than other people. All day, he checks the ATMs to find change like a child, even though he does not own an ATM card. He gets happy when he finds money and indignant when he doesn’t. For the old man, life is like a game that has remained from his childhood. And the sycamore leaves are a part of this innocent game.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sycamore | Turkey | 2019 | 15’
Cinematographer: Erkan Șimșir-Gokhan Deniz
Director: Mehmet Tığlı
Writer: Mehmet Tığlı
Producer: Erkan Şimşir
Cast: Mahmut Gökgöz, Barış Aksavaş, Sefa Turan
Synopsis: An old man spends the day wandering the streets of Istanbul. He communicates with the trees and seagulls rather than other people. All day, he checks the ATMs to find change like a child, even though he does not own an ATM card. He gets happy when he finds money and indignant when he doesn’t. For the old man, life is like a game that has remained from his childhood. And the sycamore leaves are a part of this innocent game.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
3:14PM | China | 2020 | 20’
Director: I Fu Chen
Writers: Yimei Huang, Yinuo Wang
Producers: Jacqueline W. Liu, Yuyu Yang
Cast: Zaizai Lin, Cheng-Wei Ho
Synopsis: An 11 year-old boy Yi lives with his mother in a static world where time perpetually stops at 3:14 p.m. They move frequently to escape from the bad guys. Yi has a crush on a static girl in his temporary residence, and often visits her after his mother falls asleep. He wishes time starts moving again so the girl will play with him. As his mother finds out about his secret, they got into a big quarrel. All of a sudden, Dr. Cheng and his gang find them through the noise. During the standoff, Yi realizes he stopped time when the world was about to be destroyed. Dr. Cheng attempts to kill Yi to keep time static. Yi’s mother sacrifices herself to save him. Yi faces a conundrum. Shall he live alone in this static world, or shall he activate time and embark on an unknown journey?
BEST EDITING
Gathering | Sweden | 2019 | 09’
Directors: Magnus af Sandeberg, Sofia Brattvall
Writers: Sofia Brattvall, Magnus af Sandeberg
Producers: Magnus af Sandeberg, Sofia Brattvall
Cast: Tuva Jagell, Marius Pierazzi Tezcan
Synopsis: The film is a portrait of how drugs affect both buyers and sellers and raises questions about who is really to blame.
BEST NARRATIVE
Touch | Israel | 2019 | 25’
Director: Nir Berger
Writer: Nir Berger
Producer: Leah Tonic
Cast: Neta Roth, Itamar Moalem
Synopsis: A dark romantic comedy in the age of social media. The film features no spoken dialogue, as its protagonist communicates solely through text messages. Adele is an aggressive, self-conscious 17-year-old girl who spends most of her time “trolling” (i.e insulting) her classmates online. When she is hit on by another internet troll, Uri, they flirt until he urges her to send a picture in which she is actually visible. But instead of sending her own picture, Adele sends Uri a picture of a random pretty girl from Syria – sparking another unexpected relationship.
BEST COMEDY
The Painting | Sweden | 2020 | 07’
Director: Dan Jonsson
Writer: Jonathan Norberg
Producer: Jonathan Norberg
Cast: Maria Forslin, Jonas Radehorn, Kattis Melander, Christer Ölén
Synopsis: Malin and Alex are invited to dinner with their new neighbors. But it turns out the neighbors have a hidden agenda.
BEST DRAMA
Daddy Issues | Denmark | 2019 | 23’
Director: Cecilie Kronborg Thomsen
Writer: Cecilie Kronborg Thomsen
Cast: Isabella Møller Hansen, Eigil Hedegaard
Synopsis: 17-year-old Agnes works at a café while she tries to deal with the disappointment of her father’s absence in her life. And with her father’s announcement about moving abroad, Agnes fells left behind again. But in the middle of the tragedy, a love affair occurs between Agnes and the middle-aged man, Esben (40), who one day steps into the café. A love affair that is either a compensation for Agnes’ absent father, or simply caused by the uncontrollable power of emotions.
BEST HORROR
One of the Missing | Hungary | 2019 | 12’
Director: Gábor Szentiványi
Writers: Gábor Szentiványi, György Benyák
Producer: András Muskovszky
Cast: Roland Tzafetaas
Synopsis: A freedom fighter trapped under rubble-after the building he was hiding in is bombed-wrestles his demons as he faces certain death.
BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI
3:14PM | China | 2020 | 20’
Director: I Fu Chen
Writers: Yimei Huang, Yinuo Wang
Producers: Jacqueline W. Liu, Yuyu Yang
Cast: Zaizai Lin, Cheng-Wei Ho
Synopsis: An 11 year-old boy Yi lives with his mother in a static world where time perpetually stops at 3:14 p.m. They move frequently to escape from the bad guys. Yi has a crush on a static girl in his temporary residence, and often visits her after his mother falls asleep. He wishes time starts moving again so the girl will play with him. As his mother finds out about his secret, they got into a big quarrel. All of a sudden, Dr. Cheng and his gang find them through the noise. During the standoff, Yi realizes he stopped time when the world was about to be destroyed. Dr. Cheng attempts to kill Yi to keep time static. Yi’s mother sacrifices herself to save him. Yi faces a conundrum. Shall he live alone in this static world, or shall he activate time and embark on an unknown journey?
BEST STUDENT
The Next Stop | Czech Republic | 2018 | 13’
Director: Dominik György
Writer: Dominik György
Cast: Jana Oľhová, Ondřej Novák
Synopsis: Mentally disabled driver and tired stewardess traveling with bus on the road of life. How far can they drive? “Dear passengers, fasten your seatbelts.” The affection of a loving mother to fulfill her disabled son’s dream by playing a game that gives him the opportunity to live in the world of fantasy in where he is so happy, also fulfills the goal of surviving and preserving peace in the family. The son has grown but not mentally, so the mother’s play for herself has become a daily struggle and suffering. How long she can keep this long-lasting treatment under control is questionable. Will be The Next Stop their final destination?
BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR
The Next Stop | Czech Republic | 2018 | 13’
Director: Dominik György
Writer: Dominik György
Cast: Jana Oľhová, Ondřej Novák
Synopsis: Mentally disabled driver and tired stewardess traveling with bus on the road of life. How far can they drive? “Dear passengers, fasten your seatbelts.” The affection of a loving mother to fulfill her disabled son’s dream by playing a game that gives him the opportunity to live in the world of fantasy in where he is so happy, also fulfills the goal of surviving and preserving peace in the family. The son has grown but not mentally, so the mother’s play for herself has become a daily struggle and suffering. How long she can keep this long-lasting treatment under control is questionable. Will be The Next Stop their final destination?
BEST CHILDREN SHORT
One Minute to Midnight | United States | 2020 | 07’
Director: James Brammer
Writer: James Brammer
Synopsis: A NASA scientist in 2063 creates a powerful energy source, but before he can transmit it for mass production, a mysterious force shows him a desolate future. Will he choose fame and fortune, or will he save the world without anyone knowing?
BEST ANIMATION
Twinless | Israel | 2019 | 07’
Directors: Sapir Danan, Ronalee Israel
Writers: Sapir Danan, Ronalee Israel
Producers: Sapir Danan, Ronalee Israel
Synopsis: This is Millie’s story, the story of a young woman dealing with the pain and loss that have tormented her since the prenatal death of her twin sister. On her birthday, Millie is drawn through her birthday cake into the depths of her memory. This journey exposes her maturation process in the shadow of the lost twin, her feeling towards this lost opportunity brought about by fate, and her contemplations of what could have been.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Music lives here | Russian Federation | 2019 | 27’
Director: Polina Stepanova
Writer: Polina Stepanova
Producer: Irkutsk region film foundation
Synopsis: Music has been living in Irkutsk Region Philharmonic Hall for 80 years already. The film tells us about the mission of a musician, about intergenerational continuity and how the hand of a master leads and directs his pupil. About the role of the conductor in the Symphony orchestra, the power of folk music, about the voices “flying to God”. Philharmonic music travels and gets to different parts of the world, and the rattling sound of tram becomes integral part of love and harmony (of Philharmonic).
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
TRENDS | United States | 2020 | 02’
Director: Ion Oprea
Synopsis: The project started as an exploration of different techniques and visual languages inspired by the current projects in the Motion Graphics industry. Hence the name TRENDS. Slowly but surely, it outgrew the initial premise and started to take on a life of its own with more ideas and techniques, but maintaining the original underlying principle at its core. This led to a series of five short pieces, each with its own title that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Anthony has died now | Switzerland | 2020 | 08’
Director: Baptiste Jehan
Writer: Baptiste Jehan
Producer: ADIEU-N°4
Cast: Vidal Arzoni, Milanko Puranovic
Synopsis: This is a tribute project, a way of saying farewell. A strong bond, a brotherhood, some moments shared together. To send out a message of love, a powerful one, one that shakes you up, just a way of passing, on an emotion. The hood enables one to hide their emotions. Yet also to keep the anonymity of the person, and to let your interpretation take over. Everyone is free to make the character their own. An intense, dark and radiant story.
BEST MINI SHORT
O Rage ! | France | 2020 | 03’
Director: Florent Sabatier
Writers: Florent Sabatier, Marie Coustaury
Producer: Florent Sabatier
Cast: David Baïot, Yves Batek Mendy, Anthony Cruz, Antoine Piquet, Samuel Kefi Abrick
Synopsis: Diego is reading his last song’s lyrics to friends when policemen intervene violently…
BEST LOW/NO BUDGET
POSTPARTUM | Germany | 2020 | 05’
Director: Henriette Rietz
Writer: Henriette Rietz
Synopsis: The animated film »POSTPARTUM« is about the chaotic phase in life of a new mother. Pumped up with hormones and lacking sleep, this intense time has burned deep into the protagonist’s heart. This film is an honest and very personal insight into the world of an overwhelmed mother, who seriously thought that parental leave would become a sort of sabbatical.
BEST FASHION SHORT
I’ll say it first | Russian Federation | 2020 | 03’
Director: Alena Shevchenko
Writers: Alena Shevchenko, VICTORIA PRIVALOVA
Producers: ALENA SHEVCHENKO, KONSTANTIN MELNIKOV, TIMUR ZIATOV
Cast: DIANA HELZINA
Synopsis: What woman wants? You never know, until get in their mind. This is a story about a girl who wants to text to a boy first, but she really hesitates to make a first step. At the same time she acts like she doesn’t care at all. The main idea is to show that woman aren’t always so confident as they act and how many thoughts can be in one mind in one second before they make a decision . This image was inspired by soviet decade. I wanted to face modern digital world and old sovietу flat as a metaphor that technology changes but dreams stay the same.
BEST COMMERCIAL
Redleaf – Confusion | Poland | 2020 | 01’
Director: Artur Czerwiński
Writer: Artur Czerwiński
Producer: Artur Czerwiński
Synopsis: A short story around a curious tea.
BEST STOP-MOTION/TIME-LAPSE
To the dusty sea | France | 2020 | 13’
Director: Héloïse Ferlay
Writer: Héloïse Ferlay
Producer: EnsAD
Synopsis: Left alone in the deepest of the summer, Malo and Zoe are trying their best to catch their mother’s elusive eye…
