Amateur Short – Official Selection – May 2019
71 QUESTIONS | United Kingdom | 2019 | 06’
Director: Justine Léaux
Writer: Justine Léaux
Producer: Itunu Olowo
Cast: Yazmin Joy Vigus, Mirdrit Zhinipotoku
Synopsis: The interrogation of a lifetime.
Great gig in the sky | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Cody Millett
Writer: Cody Millett
Producer: Cody Millett
Cast: Connor Houle, Mark Ottman, Jason R. Donnelly
Synopsis: Two slackers find the secret to writing a hit song when an other worldly being joins their band.
Bench | Ireland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Keith McEvoy
Writer: Keith McEvoy
Producer: Shireen Langan, Keith McEvoy
Cast: Kaylie Blue, Hannah McEvoy, Steven Tadgh
Synopsis: A Bench welcomes a variety of people with different circumstances over two days, consumed by the present and not by the moment.
Release me | Finland | 2019 | 06’
Director: Eemeli Kelokorpi
Writer: Eemeli Kelokorpi, Pauli Pietilä, Anna-Maija Sjöholm
Producer: Eemeli Kelokorpi, Pauli Pietilä
Cast: Sofia Voltti, Pauli Pietilä
Synopsis: Woman finds herself trapped in her mind, while waiting for husband to return from war.
Animation Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Shahkboy | United States | 2017 | 06’
Cast: Jake Peckar, Keagan Mahoney
Synopsis: Shahkboy is a typical Boston high school kid, doing drugs and getting busted for graffiti. Oh, and he’s half shark. This film was made during my senior year at MassArt as my animation degree project.
COSMIONICA | Not Specified | 2019 | 02’
Director: Maria Fediuk
Writer: Maria Fediuk
Synopsis: A person in red lives there, where it is very difficult to breathe. Therefore, it always wears a special mask. A person in red with a special mask goes through a large, lifeless desert to reach a high mountain in the wilderness. This mountain is a special place. A person in red overcomes a difficult path for removing a mask forever. And at the end of this path she will not be alone.
Serpendipity | United States | 2019 | 08’
Directors: Carlos Mejia, Kevin Barwick
Writers: Kevin Barwick, Carlos Mejia, Ardiana Aguilar, Lauren Posner, Kyle Climaco, Brandon Schaal, Nathanael Berrian, Ivan Olortegui, Eileen Cinerar, Niara Clay, Angelica Duvic, Matthew Graham, Sarah Rahman, Christina Christie, Gloria Carrazana , Sharry Liang
Gordon does not want to freeze during his dinner date. Not only is Gordon nervous, but he has a secret- he has snakes for hair with a bad habit of turning people into stone. Will he find love or is this a date with disaster?
Tiffany | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Christina Christie
Writers: Christina Christie, Taylor Estape, Desiree Vargas, Genesis Laboy, Savannah Berry, Sofia Santos, Austin Royall, Megan Burbach, Kylie Campbell, Peter Lupton, Beryl Van Ness, Chris Gomes, Lauren Gisewhite
Producer: University of Central Florida’s School of Visual Arts and Design
Cast: Callie Wills
Synopsis: While packing away her deceased grandmother’s affairs, Pauline discovers that one of their stained glass sculptures has come to life. As the lights in the house go out and their memories together begin to dim, Pauline realizes there is joy in celebrating the legacy of those who have been lost.
Traffic Jam | France | 2019 | 03’
Director: PH Debiès
Writer: PH Debiès
Synopsis: Stuck in a traffic jam, he does not see that his life is out of control.
Racing the Sunset | United States | 2018 | 05’
Director: Nikolas Smith
Writer: Nikolas Smith
Producer: Angela K. Johnson
Cast: Darius Johnson, Kaylyn Bosh, Henry Harrison
Synopsis: Realizing that he has a date in a matter of minutes, a young traceur makes a desperate parkour rush through the city to make it to his rendezvous on time.
Tacit Blue | China | 2019 | 10’
Director: Wenkai Duan
Writer: Wenkai Duan
Producer: PLei Wang
Synopsis: Carl goes to a deserted site to rescue his daughter Alice who was kidnapped. Waiting for Carl in the site is Moye, Carl’s biggest rival who works for an organized criminal party. Moye modified Alice and turned her into a killing machine. Carl saw the daughter being transformed and he lost his calm, Until almost killed by his daughter. Carl does not hesitate to use his blood and life to awaken his daughter’s memory.
Ordinosaure | Canada | 2019 | 01’
Director: Vincent Gosselin
Writer: Vincent Gosselin
Producer: Cégep du Vieux Montréal
Cast: Evelyne Foisy, Denis Roy, Mathieu Théorêt, Vincent Gosselin
Synopsis: A T-Rex arrives at the office for his first day of work.
Children Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Sela (drink) | South Africa | 2019 | 26’
Director: Rafieka Davis
Writer: Ibanathi Buqa, Iphelele Baxana, Lulama Duda
Producer: The Latin School of Chicago, ArtWorks for Youth
Cast: Asonge Sitshabane, Marcia Tandokazi Ntonti, Olothando Solomon, Major Loli
Synopsis: A young boy named Kamva carries the weight of his family due to the heavy drinking of his mother. (This film was written by students aged 12-14 as part of a screenplay project in an after school program in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.)
The Last Pixie | United States Minor Outlying Islands | 2019 | 12’
Director: Seb Cox
Writer: Seb Cox
Producer: Seb Cox
Cast: Charlotte Olivia, Stefan Chanyaem, Sophie Sommer
Synopsis: A curious daughter goes searching for a fairy tale told by her mother, the last pixie. As a child, Jenny would be told stories of the last pixie, a creature that would help you in times of need. Many years on and Jenny’s mother’s memory is fading. Jenny ventures into the woods in search of the creature and its aid. Little does she know that the woods are protected by a self proclaimed guardian.
Hungry | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Yaou Chen
Synopsis: A film about a T-rex, who is starving in the desert and looking for food. It is a film about his adventure with meeting with other wild animals.
Dynamometer | Greece | 2019 | 06’
Director: George Leontakianakos
Writer: Nancy Spetsioti
Producers: George Leontakianakos, Konstantinos Gourgiotis
Synopsis: A thirteen-year-old refugee girl, ostracized by her classmates, seeks an opportunity to participate in a group physics experiment at her school.
Invasion | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Victoria Barranco
Synopsis: A young alligator Scoot and his best butterfly buddy Blue are driven from their Everglades home by a mysterious force.
Buba & Sharon | Netherlands | 2016 | 15’
Director: Chiel Aldershoff
Writer: Chiel Aldershoff
Producer: Chiel Aldershoff
Synopsis: A documentary about a special friendship. Elephant Buba and circus girl Sharon have known each other all their lives. They perform together, but also outside the circus ring they are inseparable. After this summer, a new bill on wild animals in circuses will most likely send Buba away for good.
A monster day | China | 2019 | 14’
Director: chan ning
Writer: chan ning
Producer: coco
Cast: huang ling chen
Synopsis: Ye zi’s mother is stressed out. After suppressing herself under pressure for a long time, she turned into a monster one morning. Now the 5 year old Ye zi have to take care of her monster mom, how’s it gonna be…
IPC by Ulap: Rainforest | Qatar | 2019 | 04’
Director: Ulap Yshmael Almacen
Writer: Ulap Yshmael Almacen
Producers: Vanessa Almacen, Chito Almacen
Cast: Ulap Yshmael Almacen
Synopsis: Let’s talk about “Rainforest”.
Goodbye Friendly Buddy | United States | 2019 | 19’
Director: Morgan Wright
Cast: Enne Goldstein, Claire Foley
Synopsis: Two imaginary friends have the worst day of their lives
Commercial/AD/TVC Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Life is a beautiful journey | Slovenia | 2019 | 02’
Director: Sven Greif
Producer: Sven Greif
Synopsis: The story talks about the journey of life. A young boy, who is a big fan of racing, so he watches all the races. He imagines he is one of the racers on the racing track, fighting for the title – to be the best. Races are his motivation that one day he will become number one. So he starts to train, race and train some more. During his journey, he faces multiple obstacles, which make him devastated. He is somehow more driven to achieve his goal through the strength of his memories. All roads lead him to the fastest supercar in the world. Every journey starts with a reason.
Tv commercial for Molto croissant. | Serbia | 2018 | 01’
Director: Filippos Tsapekis
Writer: Black cherry advertising
Producer: Top cut modiano company house
Cast: Gorana Crnogorcic, Alistrair Morrell
Synopsis: Tv commercial for Molto croissant.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Chasing Mandela’s Rainbow | United Kingdom | 2019 | 30’
Director: Gary Janks
Producer: Gary Janks, Clifford Bestall, David Eades
Synopsis: “ Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ” Nelson Mandela (2003) Life in Mandela’s South Africa has been an unrelenting struggle between utopian hope – and painful reality. Three school students, aided by their teachers, want to join the success story this country was meant to become, post-Apartheid. They strive for recognition, dream of their place within a society, meant to work for all. Their dissimilar backgrounds and battles illustrate why Mandela’s vision never materialised and is still, a haunting and illusive rainbow. These are no fairy tales; only honest stories of real lives inside an unfair, two tier system that needs a drastic change. Their backgrounds still reflect the deep inequalities of the past, but woven into their lives is a common thread: the guts to achieve, regardless of the situation. Who will prosper, despite a broken education system and who will fail because of it, where half a nation’s youth are unemployed? And why? This is a moving, contrasting and conflicted study of epic challenges facing the “born free” children of Mandela. Mahlatsi travels 15 miles from Soweto in his grandfather’s car, then by bus, to a good suburban school. His father tragically died, having been shot in a township dispute, back in 2004. His unemployed mother couldn’t afford his school fees or his chest burn treatment. Mahlatsi’s English teacher kindly paid for the latter. He wants to be a footballer or businessman, buy a tombstone for his father’s grave and help his family by becoming the breadwinner and father figure but he enjoys gambling and playing soccer in the Soweto streets. Mother disapproves, finding it hard to discipline him. Will he stay focused, and study enough to pass exams or will he follow his father into a life of gambling and crime? Andile lives in rural KwaZulu-Natal, trudging miles on sun baked roads to a small primary school. Her mother seeks a job in Durban. She was abandoned by her father because he found her too costly. Consequently, being vulnerable and unprotected, she was attacked at night by an arsonist when living with her grandmother and little brother, and was forced to leave their mud hut. Traumatised, she now lives with a compassionate foster mother, washing clothes, cooking and collecting water. She is sensitive, young but intelligent. Will she go to an expensive, faraway high school or fall pregnant and drop out like many others? What will happen if she is reunited with Granny, recovering from multiple burns, whom she desperately misses? Her dream of being a doctor seems so remote, almost an impossible feat. Phendulani is a soft spoken, Zulu head boy and boarder at old Durban High School, a school based on a traditional, English grammar school ethos. He’s from a pineapple farm where his mother and siblings live. His father was a civil engineer but died when Phendulani was nine. He admires him and wants to follow in his footsteps of civil engineering, sharing his passion for road building. A charitable trust pays his scholarship. He is a Springbok U18 rugby player and a hero figure at D.H.S. for his integrity, modesty, calmness and other leadership qualities, not least as rugby captain of the successful first team. The stresses of succeeding are enormous. Will he get a scholarship to attend university by being selected for Super Rugby’s Natal Sharks? How much further can he go in life, groomed now for supreme leadership?
Prisoner of Society | Georgia | 2018 | 15’
Director: Rati Tsiteladze
Producer: Nino Varsimashvili, Rati Tsiteladze
Synopsis: What it means to be a stranger in your own home and country? Prisoner of Society is an intimate journey into the world and mind of a young transgender woman, who has been locked away from the outside world for the past decade. (It is the first Georgian documentary nominated for European Film Academy Awards)
BIENVENUS | Spain | 2018 | 17’
Director: Ana Puentes Margarito
Writer: Ana Puentes Margarito,Narciso De La Torre-Velver
Producer: Sergy Moreno,Ana Puentes Margarito
Synopsis: Nuria wants to volunteer in an immigration ONG. She must take care of Pape,Chiaka and Salif, three boys her age. But Nuria can’t communicate with them, they don’t trust anyone. Frustrated, she decides to leave but while doing so, the real connection and discovery of each other happens. After this, their lives will never be the same.
Plasticine | Russian Federation | 29’
Director: Ivan Magdesyan
Writer: Ivan Magdesyan
Producer: Ivan Magdesyan
Synopsis: Shocked by the horrors of war, an ordinary schoolboy from Moscow sends the letter to a stranger child to Lugansk city. As a result of this letter the whole class has come from bombed-out city to Moscow during vacations.
MALKO | Brazil | 2019 | 06’
Director: Guilherme Bohn
Writers: Guilherme Bohn, Malko Joseph, Maurício Padilha
Producer: Francesco Civita
Cast: Malko
Synopsis: The story of Malko, a Haitian immigrant in Brazil.
So It Goes | Netherlands | 2019 | 01’
Director: Arjan Brentjes
Writer: Arjan Brentjes
Producer: Arjan Brentjes
Cast: Bart van der Schaaf
Synopsis: In this one-minute documentary Arjan Brentjes takes a side step from his ongoing animation work to tell a little family story. In 1940 Truus lives in Rotterdam with her mother Aartje. In 2019, her grandson Arjan wonders what the first sunny days of May 1940 look like for them. He makes a reconstruction and concludes that there’s little he can add to it.
Entrusted to God! | Turkey | 2019 | 07’
Director: Nejla Osseiran
Synopsis: Camel wrestlings which annually take place in the Aegean and Mediterranean region of Turkey are said to be a traditional ‘sport’. However, not many people know about the problems these camels face.
Plain Truth | Greece | 2019 | 09’
Director: George Bisdikis
Producer: Georgia Panopoulou
Cast: Kostas Bessas
Synopsis: A shephered finds himself inbetween his everyday duties and his passion.During the film he finds the strength to admit the truth. The plain truth.
LOCO | Qatar | 2018 | 12’
Director: Vanessa Almacen
Writer: Vanessa Almacen
Producer: Vanessa Almacen
Cast: Klaude Cannaby
Synopsis: LOGLINE An accompanying expat mom proves she can create her own trails and write her own path through a simple recollection of her fondest memories in Doha. SYNOPSIS Klaude is a Filipina stay-at-home mom who organizes outreach programs within her community through an online group she created – LOCO, short for Lot One Community Outreach. Like the name itself, she is innately loco about being of help to other people. Through this, she proves that she can create her own trails and write her own path even as an accompanying expat housewife (dubbed as trailing spouse) living in Doha, more so, inspiring others to do the same.
Partizan love | Hungary | 2019 | 25’
Director: Gábor Klacsán
Writer: Gábor Klacsán
Producer: Lea György
Synopsis: A documentary on Xüan Dong, a partisan girl, whose photograph is well known all over the world since the middle of the 70s. But only a few know, that after the victory in North Vietnam, the war has ended for her, the battles did not. She is still fighting, though in a different way. After the Indochina War Vietnam sent thousands of young people to study abroad, especially to the former socialist countries. More than 4 000 students came to Hungary along with Xüan. The rules were strict: it was forbidden for them to fall in love with foreign students. But the socialist moralists were not prepared for partisan love. Xüan started a new battle. She had to fight for her country in Vietnam, in Hungary for her love. The film takes us to the places of her battles, the jungle, the partisan camps, partisan schools, subterranean bunkers, the University at Gödöllő and the Conversation of Livestock Genetic Resources Center, where she fights to save the endangered livestock species from extinction.
Experimental Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Jones | United States | 09’
Director: Stacey Maltin
Writer: Marzy Hart
Producers: Marzy Hart, Stacey Maltin, Carrie Radigan
Cast: Marzy Hart, Lisa Tharps, Michael Varamogiannis, Valerie Laury
Synopsis: Aware that her drinking has become destructive, Jones takes a go at living the sober life. Not wanting to be someone else’s problem, she pushes away help and comes face to face with herself and her lack of control.
Paloma | United States | 2018 | 21’
Director: Ricardo Bouyett
Cast: Sam Castellano, Teri Lopez, Jude Valentin, Nina Saenz, Nicolas Del Valle Jr., Angel Diaz
Synopsis: Conflicted by his friends’ varying philosophies on how to move on from terrible things, Mateo struggles between wanting to heal peacefully or by seeking revenge on his abuser.
Through the mind | Kosovo | 2019 | 06’
Director: Nita Zeqiri
Writer: Nita Zeqiri
Producer: Ajete Kërqeli
Cast: Sihana Shalaj
Synopsis: A journey over time. Depicting different states of mind. Making visible, the invisible. Giving voice to the voiceless. A journey through the mind.
(f)our seasons | Spain | 14’
Director: Miguel Gabaldón
Writer: Miguel Gabaldón
Producer: Miguel Gabaldón
Synopsis: Four seasons. Four stories. A glimpse with no words through the life of four couples in the cities of Madrid, Chicago and New York.
EVE | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Jeff Consiglio
Producers: Jeff Consiglio, Alexandre Naufel
Cast: JB Naufel
Synopsis: High wire artist Philippe Petit describes EVE in this way: “Fighting gravity and sharing with the winds the fabric of our dreams is as important in life as getting bread and water. EVE reminds us of that while inspiring us to grow wings and take off!”
In Her Silence | Australia | 2019 | 05’
Directors: Katrina Mathers, Josie Wadelton
Writers: Josie Wadelton, Katrina Mathers
Producers: Katrina Mathers, Josie Wadelton
Cast: Josie Wadelton
Synopsis: An artist surrounds herself with her work, silently scanning her thoughts.
The Eternity of Paula | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | 2018 | 11’
Director: Dayana Gauthier
Writers: Dayana Gauthier , Lino Ocando
Producers: Mireya Piñuela, Luis Linarez
Cast: Estefany Chirinos, Evarista Vásquez, Mercedes Bueno
Mini Video Short– Official Selection – May 2019
Godspeed | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Sunny Wai Yan Chan
Synopsis: “Godspeed” is a story about a mother saying goodbye to her son at the airport. The son wants a hug, but the non-expressive mother is reluctant to do so. The seemingly small conflict between the two is amplified by the close-ups of their faces, visualizing the weight of struggle each of them is experiencing.
Solitary Confinement | Spain | 2013 | 02’
Synopsis: Solitary Confinement is a visual representation on an excerpt from prisoner Chris McBride’s letter to the newspaper Indy Week dated on July 4th 2012. This piece attempts to visually communicate, in less than 2 minutes, the amount of time a prisoner spends in a very small confinement, the minuscule amount of time spent outside the cell and the psychological impact this can have. The relevant excerpt from the letter can be found in the article What life is like in solitary confinement at North Carolina’s Central Prison by Billy Ball, dated on October 21st, 2012. (https://indyweek.com/news/life-like-solitary-confinement-north-carolina-s-central-prison/)
The Tigress Masque | India | 2018 | 03’
Director: Gowri Neelavar
Writer: Gowri Neelavar
Producers: Girishekara Kalkur,Bharath Parashuram
Synopsis: The Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka is home to a unique dance form known as ‘Pilivesha’ or Tiger masque.The film revolves around a real life female ‘pili vesha’ folk artist,who is consumed by the emotion of dancing. In a completely male dominated art form,her will power and passion, win over her ’fear of failure.’ Based on a poem, the film portrays the world of these artists,through her eyes.
Mobile Phone Short – Official Selection – May 2019
heads/tails | United Kingdom | 2019 | 03’
Director: Matthew D Gilpin
Writer: Matthew D Gilpin
Producer: Matthew D Gilpin
Cast: Mikey Tsoukkas , Livvie May
Synopsis: It’s the job offer of a lifetime, but is it worth the damage to his relationship?
FRIENDSHIP | Russian Federation | 2019 | 07’
Director: Sergei Mikushin
Writer: Sergei Mikushin
Producer: Sergei Mikushin
Cast: Mary Vakha , Arsenia Bychkova
Synopsis: Lelia, a 25-year-old girl in a unisex sports sweatshirt with a barely noticeable make-up and a casual hairstyle, finally meets her peer and an old friend after a long break. Her friend is a blonde girl with a bright appearance and deep neckline. Lelia starts telling her friend about her problems, recording a live broadcast on the social network. Her friend starts to laugh maliciously at the climax of Lelia’s story. Without paying much attention to Lelia’s offense she continues the theme with her own story, which hurts Lelia even more. However, as soon as Lelia notices that she has forgotten to turn off the camera and she has collected many likes, both with her own story and her friend’s story, there is no trace of her resentment. A friend is extremely dissatisfied with Lelia’s success, and especially with her unwitting participation in it. But she doesn’t remain upset for long and she is confidently planning a revenge.
FIREWORKS | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2019 | 04’
Director: Shahab Ghafari
Writers: Mina Hosseinabadi, Shahab Ghafari
Producer: Shahab Ghafari
Cast: Ehteram broomand, Mina Hosseinabadi, Avin Naghibian
Synopsis: A nightmarish dejavu of war and the fright, pain and despair it brings about; effects that will damage decades of people’s life, soul and psychology.
Before and after | United States | 2019 | 02’
Director: Polina Zaitseva
Synopsis: The first installment of MORE.MORE.MORE campaign. Finding beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty.
Music Video – Official Selection – May 2019
Inadaptat | Romania | 2017 | 04’
Director: iRonic Distors
Writer: iRonic Distors
Producer: WorkGlow
LINOLEUM – Alain Chamfort / Cie Niki Noves | France | 2019 | 06’
Director: Niki Noves
SYNOPSIS: In a dark room, we find two men forehead to forehead, sitting on the floor, heads connected by a helmet with an organic look. They are surrounded by silhouettes motionless and tense. In parallel in a sanitized white space, these two men face each other at a distance. They seem to have the power to influence the behavior of the other. Their violent and fierce manipulations quickly blow them to the limit of the knockout. This struggle has the effect of animating the individuals around them in the dark space. Alain Chamfort is the link between these two spaces. He is the witness and the narrator. He walks in the dark towards a ray of light. In the air there are particles that gradually draw a yellow landscape, a chaotic exterior that indicates a post-apocalyptic era. A child appears in the distance through the yellowish fog. He walks in the midst of a group of women and men of all ages walking in the same direction, looking out at the horizon of a new land. NOTE The duo evokes the contradictions of a single individual facing himself, he also represents humanity. The clip shows a dark face that gradually evolves towards sharing, listening, understanding. It is a form of rebirth by setting off dust in an animal movement that is humanized. The spaces of protection, the different closed spaces, the charged and colored air, indicate an unbreathable exterior, but it is not the nothingness … The fact that the frozen bodies come back to life during the evolution of the duel, suggests the influence of our actions on everything around us and that man would have the power to reverse the course of things, the possibility of a second chance. The dust brings back to a primitive side, to the stars, to the universe. CHOREOGRAPHY The choreography and its setting in space leave a static state, the register of the intimate evolving towards bodies in full effusion. There are two distinct choreographies, that of the duo of dancers where the fight evolves towards a form of harmony, and this same duo immobile in another space with dancers (r) all around, linked to each other in a circle who eventually relax and become animated. Impulses, uncontrolled gestures begin to emerge. The dance is inspired by trances, rituals, traditional dances and martial arts.
My Lover, I Don’t Need You – Annie Pichan | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Nina Thomas
Producer: Joanna Aliano
Synopsis: Music Video for artist Annie Pichan’s song “My Lover, I Don’t Need You”
Boom goes Julian | Australia | 2018 | 04’
Director: Stevie Big Gee
Writer: Stevie Big Gee
Producer: Stevie Big Gee
Cast: The G’s crew
Synopsis: Julian Assange, heaven sent to expose the horrible truths hiding behind the zeros and ones around the world.
You’re Not Alone Anymore | United Kingdom | 2019 | 05’
Director: Giovanni Bolzani Valenzano
Writer: Giovanni Bolzani Valenzano
Producer: Lewis O’Loughlin
Cast: Ali Goldsmith, Greta O’Brien Vial , Giovanni Pisas
Synopsis: Music Video for “You’re Not Alone Anymore” by Piet Row.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – May 2019
The Bribe | Russian Federation | 2018 | 13’
Director: Alexey Kharitonov
Writer: Alexey Kharitonov
Producers: Kirill Alekhin , Dmitry Sharov , Pavel Roytberg , Dmirty Kupovikh , Dmirty Shepelev
Cast: Mikhail Trukhin , Sergey Burunov , Nikolay Kovbas , Sergey Annenkov , Alexander Revenko
Synopsis: A citizen offers the investigator a bribe to close a case… about bribery. But the events unfold in an unpredictable manner.
You | Spain | 05’
Director: Gabriel Stanger
Writers: Gabriel Stanger,Bruce Lindsay
Producer: Gabriel Stanger
Synopsis: When someone find themselves in the void of a loss, the only way to carry on is to rediscover oneself, to live once again but carrying the weight of a reality that is no longer.
BTO | Singapore | 2017 | 16’
Director: Melinda Tan
Writer: Melinda Tan
Producer: ZhiQi Yeo
Cast: Liew Jia Yi, Luke Kwek
Synopsis: A new Build-To-Order home, a wedding banquet, and a lifetime together. Two weeks before their wedding, a young couple prepares to part. In land-scarce Singapore, BTO has come to signify the commitment of marriage. But while a flat may be built-to-order, can the same be said of love?
MY LAST LULLABY | France | 2019 | 20’
Director: Pauline GARCIA
Writer: Pauline GARCIA
Producer: Arthur BEAUVOIS
Cast: Lily-Rose DEPP, Félix MARITAUD, Alexandra STEWART, Emmanuel SALINGER, Florence THOMASSIN, Alysson PARADIS
Synopsis: Is there a suitable age to face a loss for the first time ? Pamela, is 20 years old. She has just lost her grandfather. Her entire family gets together in the grandparents’s house, the day before the funeral. It is a place full of memories. Without noticing, Paloma is led to confront her loss. As if this end of summer marked the end of her frivolity.
In the Trunk | Canada | 2019 | 15’
Director: Jacob Marcoux, Olivier Séguin-Dang
Cast: Marjorie Gauvin, Léo Dumas-Chalifour, David Levy
Synopsis: After a gruesome accident, Pascal and Vivian must find a way to conceal any evidence linking them to their crime, while having to face their unsuccessful romantic relationship.
Lucy | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | 2018 | 15’
Director: Roberto Gutiérrez
Writers: Roberto Gutiérrez, Héctor Torres
Producers: Rafael Ponce, Roberto Gutiérrez
Cast: Luigi Sciamanna, Eloísa Maturén, Elvis Chaveinte, Daniela Bueno
Synopsis: Raúl, a solitary and obsessive 60-year-old foley artist, lives austerely in an apartment full of curious objects, where he feeds an obsession with his neighbor, whom he films in secret and then reproduces the sounds of her life through foleys. Despite remaining hidden, he begins to develop a one-sided relationship from the distance with this woman, whom he calls Lucy. After several sessions, on day 13 of his project, Raul discovers Lucy finding evidence of her husband’s infidelity. After fighting and throwing him out of her house, Lucy suffers intensely from the breakup, which Raúl takes advantage to film her and bonds with her, pretending to approach her emotions. Raul is convinced that the window of opportunity is now open and he believes that a sad and vulnerable Lucy, might be his. He wants to become the architect of the sounds of her life and somehow he begins to feel that she enjoys the imaginary company that he gives her. In this climax of compatibility between them, Lucy’s husband returns home unexpectedly. She loses the determination of her initial annoyance and lets him stay. However, she continues to be sad and indifferent to the return of her husband, who tries to recover his place and return to the routine of his marriage. Devastated, Raul intends to persuade her, crossing to her door with the intention to remind her about the connection they now have. The amorous delirium leads him to be confronted closely by what is behind his obsession: Lucy’s true identity. Tormented by what he has just discovered, he returns home distressed and gets rid of all traces of Lucy, at that point, we discover that his obsession is greater than we thought.
Roger | United Kingdom | 2019 | 14’
Director: Reuben Hamlyn
Writer: Reuben Hamlyn
Producers: Max Keegan, Theodora de Jasay , Cecilia Golding
Cast: Mia Soteriou, Eddie Toll , David Menkin
Synopsis: Lena embarks on her new job as a “Roger,” a service application that provides its clients with a domestic assistant with which they never directly communicate. Unsettled by her new role, Lena strives to build a relationship with her employer through unexpected means.
Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – May 2019
I am Lorenzo Lamas | United States | 2018 | 27’
Director: Dennis O’Neill
Writer: Dennis O’Neill
Producer: Dennis O’Neill
Cast: Dennis O’Neill
Synopsis: NYPD detective Jimmy O’Neill has a run-in with the Mob (Mafia). Now they want to whack him. He goes to Fort Worth, TX to take over his inherited, by his late uncle Charlie’s failing Bail Bonds business. The mob follows him. All the high-jinx, now begins.
The Hideaway | United States | 2017 | 25’
Director: Michael McCartney
Writers: Christin Muuli, David Bradberry, Scuyler Dahlenberg, Mackyla Hill, Mara Topic Verduga
Cast: Christin Muuli
Synopsis: The intertwined lives of this group of 7 young bar workers, after going to work one day, find themselves amongst the biggest whirlwind of secrets and lies.
Russian Hackers Life | Russian Federation | 05’
Director: Viktoriia Kravchenko
Writers: Viktor Kravchenko, Viktoriia Kravchenko, Marat Amirov
Producers: Natali Reznikova, Mari Kuleshova
Cast: Viktor Kravchenko, Marat Amirov, Andrey Vaseiko
Synopsis: Welcome to Universe of Hacking! Russian Hackers (Fedor, Boris and Ignat) are going to hack the world for digital freedom equality brotherhood under Fedor’s control. There is only one problem: they need big hackerhood all over the world. So they decide to invite international shooting team (America Tomorrow) to make documentary.. sorry.. hackumentary.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – May 2019
THIS LIFE | Russian Federation | 2019 | 22’
Director: Nina Vedmitskaya
Writer: Maxim Markin
Producers: Yuriy Gribanov, Daria Perunovskaya
Synopsis: The protagonist, when going to the job interview, is ready for any questions and any scenario. But it’s impossible to be ready to what is going to happen. The forgotten passport is the most inoffensive thing among all the forthcoming whirligigs. But neither a meticulous security guard, a horny old charwoman, an experimental drug, nor robbers with SWAT – nothing will stop our protagonist from getting the best job in the world. One only needs to believe in oneself!
The Ledge | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Lawrence
Writer: Keith Biondi
Producers: Keith Biondi, Lawrence Le
Cast: Keith Biondi , Areana Cirina
Synopsis: A zany dark comedy with an unexpected twist!
Bottomless | United Kingdom | 2019 | 07’
Director: Dustin Curtis Murphy
Writer: Dustin Curtis Murphy
Producer: Dustin Curtis Murphy
Cast: Jon Gormley, Amanda Maston, Nicci Brighten
Synopsis: Emotionally disenfranchised man-child, Jackson, drunkenly reflects on modern existence while being dragged to a bottomless mimosa brunch by his successful vlogger girlfriend, Peyton.
Hero of the day | Russian Federation | 2018 | 12’
Director: Aleksey Sokolov
Writer: Aleksey Sokolov
Producer: Sergey Shein, Alena Nikitina, Aleksandr Arbuzov
Cast: Andrey Nekrasov, Rustam Fayzulaev, Yuriy Kuznetsov, Valentina Novikova, Yuliya Popova, Antonis Shamanidi, Ruslan Zemnuhov, Temirlan Shudaev
Synopsis: Arseniy is on a way of getting his breakfast. Can he ever imagine that he will be saving people and animals, taking part in a fight, meeting a girl and probably having a chance to become a hero that day, and even have a desired reward?
Higher Space | United States | 2019 | 12’
Directors: Vitaliy Strokous, David Ochs
Writers: Vitaliy Strokous, David Ochs
Producers: Vitaliy Strokous, David Ochs
Cast: Xavier Aguilera, Ryan Matias, David Ochs, Vitaliy Strokous, Nicole Ridgwell, Carmen Liang, Spencer Rothbell
Synopsis: Two stoner friends must evade the Space Police to get to the greatest party in the galaxy!
Short Drama – Official Selection – May 2019
Malammor’ | Italy | 2019 | 14’
Director: Michele Melchionda
Writer: Stefania Autuori
Producers: Roma Film Academy, Michele Melchionda
Cast: Giulia Valenti, Michela Molinari
Synopsis: 1950s, Southern Italy. Lucia gave her daughter Rosetta a one-way ticket to Rome, certain that there will be a better future there. But when the ticket is taken away, she will be willing to do anything to put the money back together.
Forgive me | Spain | 2019 | 03’
Director: Cucho L. Capilla
Writer: Tony Pérez
Producer: Ivandra Films
Cast: Gema Pérez Fernández, Alejandra López
Synopsis: A girl comes home to apologize to her mother for the news she is yet to receive.
Paul | France | 2019 | 17’
Director: François Albaranes
Writer: François Albaranes
Producer: François Albaranes
Cast: Julien Chaussé, Pierre-Alexandre Rivas Durney, Marie-Pauline Cassely, Clément Devaux, Mathias Albaranes
Synopsis: Quelques jours dans la vie de Paul, professeur d’Informatique à la Faculté des Sciences à Marseille. Paul, universitaire passionné par son travail doit fait face à ses démons tandis que l’un de ses collègues connaît un succès littéraire inattendu. Few days in the life of Paul, Computer Science teacher at the university of Marseille. Paul, who is passionate about his job, has to confront his demons while a colleague of his achieves unexpected success.
Reivers | United Kingdom | 2019 | 13’
Director: Glen Shepherd
Writer: Glen Shepherd
Producer: Glen Shepherd
Cast: Bobby Bulloch, Jack Steel
Synopsis: Two wounded cut-throats find themselves stranded alone in the bleak Scottish wilderness. With darks clouds bearing in and their wounds slowly bleeding out, they must chose whether to help each other or face almost certain death.
The Legend of The Lake | Switzerland | 2019 | 24’
Director: Hetzel Chloé
Writer: Hetzel Chloé
Cast: Jean Winiger, Leo Panchard, Tibor Ludwig, Alain Lecoultre, Amandine Gardoni, Pierre-Olivier Sridharan, Guillaume Barbey, Jacqueline Corpataux
Synopsis: A young woman went missing a few days before the formation of the artificial lake of Gruyère, in Switzerland. Two teenage boys find themselves immersed in this unsolved mistery.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – May 2019
How to hold a cloud to the ground | Brazil | 2019 | 18’
Director: Marco Aurélio Gal
Writer: Marco Aurélio Gal
Producers: Marco Aurélio Gal, Silvânia Espíndola
Cast: Cláudia Boseli, Suia Legaspe, Henrique de Paula, Guto Maia, Marina Honda, Paulo Ohana
Synopsis: What happens after THE END? A “Once upon a time…” told backwards. The fable of Isabela, a phantasmagoric journey of a girl searching for her true self.
Roll Initiative | Australia | 2019 | 10’
Director: Stefan Varvaressos-Abdi
Writer: Stefan Varvaressos-Abdi
Producers: Lucy McDonald, Jennie Schiller
Cast: Adam Edwards, Mathew Farrugia, Jasynda Radanovic, Adam Hatzimanolis
Synopsis: A party of Dungeons & Dragons players encounter needlessly dangerous situations in their fantasy world due to one of their overly reckless members, Boulder.
The Original | United Kingdom | 2018 | 14’
Director: Michelle Garza Cervera
Writer: Andrew Fleming
Producer: Hiroyuki Ishiguro
Cast: Ariana Lebron
Synopsis: Alana is a woman struggling to keep her relationship alive as her partner suffers with a debilitating illness. A new medical procedure offers the answer to their prayers, but not without forcing her to make one last sacrifice.
Lab Rat | United Kingdom | 2018 | 16’
Director: Nour Wazzi
Writer: Matt Brothers
Producers: Neil Chordia, Amanda Brennan
Cast: Matt Harris, Kirsty Sturgess, Abeo Jackson, Max Williams, Sian Hill
Synopsis: In the near future, a group of scientists trapped in a lab learn that one of them is an A.I….. and it has been deceiving them.
La Source | Switzerland | 2018 | 17’
Director: Yatoni Roy Cantu
Writer: Yatoni Roy Cantu
Producer: Jean-Guillaume Sonnier
Cast: Elsa Thebault, Isabelle Vesseron
Synopsis: In the middle of the darkness of a chalet of a past century, between the cracks and the dirt of an old mirror, somebody appears. It is Lisbeth. She moves forward in her dressing gown with precaution, trying not to wake Anne who is still sleeping. In front of her reflection, she discovers her shoulder. The skin is cracked, darkened and in blood. The disease is back.
Short Horror – Official Selection – May 2019
A Triste Figura | Brazil | 2018 | 18’
Director: Calebe Lopes
Writer: Calebe Lopes
Producer: Klaus Hastenreiter
Cast: Carlos Betão, Dora Goritzki, Nayara Homem, Eduarda Miranda, Vica Laert
Synopsis: Dad. Daughter. Past. Revenge. A strange figure walks at night.
Once Bitten… | United Kingdom | 2018 | 10’
Director: Pete Tomkies
Writer: Kevin T Rogers
Cast: Lauren Ashley Carter, Garth Maunders, Sir Dickie Benson
Synopsis: Martha needs the toilet fixed in her hotel bathroom but there’s one problem: her plumber may be a vampire.
CERNUNNOS | United States | 2019 | 15’
Director: Winston Stemler
Writer: Winston Stemler
Producers: Winston Stemler, Aslan Dalgic
Cast: Veronika Issa
Synopsis: A violinist’s devouring insecurity of her musical greatness ravages her body and soul as she begrudgingly calls to the Horned God that behooves her.
The Shadow Devil | China | 2019 | 05’
Director: Yunqi Guo
Writer: Yunqi Guo
Producers: Qiansheng Zhu, Hellen Zhao
Cast: Ziyan Xu, Halisha
Synopsis: Late at night, a girl who just got cheated by her boyfriend is on her way back to her dorm. Suddenly, the street lamp she just walked past turns off…
HER BODY | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | 2019 | 11’
Director: JUAN AVELLA
Writer: JUAN AVELLA , SHELBY FARRELL
Producers: BERNARDO MAUROVICH, ESTEBAN ARANGO, JUAN AVELLA
Cast: Krizia Bajos, Sammy Horowitz, Ilean Almoguer, Aidan Khan
Synopsis: A Latina immigrant must face her abusive American boyfriend when she wakes up bound in a garage about to be sold to an underground organ trafficking ring.
SAVE 2.0 | Spain | 2019 | 07’
Director: Ivan Sainz-Pardo
Writer: Ivan Sainz-Pardo
Producer: Ivan Sainz-Pardo
Cast: Kathrin von Steinburg, Ercan Karacaily
Synopsis: “Night falls, a dog how breaks the night”
Stop Motion/Time Lapse – Official Selection – May 2019
Impermanence – An Inner Journey | France | 2019 | 06’
Director: Nicolas Jouhet
Synopsis: Making this film led me to travel to many holy places in Asia. But it is not this trip that I wanted to tell here, but an inner journey through the progressive understanding of impermanence. This leads us to realize that everything is linked, that we are all connected. This understanding can come with meditation, but also through the contemplation of nature. How can we not feel united to the whole universe when one immerses oneself in a starry sky? As this knowledge takes root in us, we act with greater kindness for ourselves, others, and the planet. The time lapse makes it possible to contract the time, it is the ideal technique to turn into pictures the impermanence. This film was shot in Thailand, China, Burma, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India (Ladakh) and Cambodia.
Mayan time | Mexico | 2019 | 07’
Director: Alberto Jose Docotorovich
Writer: Concha Leon Portilla
Producers: Ricardo Goria, Alberto Jose Docotorovich, Alberto Bross, Veronica Sotres
Synopsis: time lapse documentary about archaeoastronomy phenomena in the Mayan area.,inedit images of real astronomical alligements in the pyramids during equinox and solstices
Student Short – Official Selection – May 2019
Leviathan | Peru | 2017 | 15’
Director: Erik Woolcott
Writer: Erik Woolcott
Producers: Sandra Ramirez, Karina Romero, Stefany Silva
Cast: Gilberto Nue, Roxana Cavero
Synopsis: A man delves deep into his late father’s last investigation, uncovering secrets humankind was not meant to know.
Just A Coincidence | Poland | 05’
Director: Oleksandr Herasymenko
Writer: Oleksandr Herasymenko, Alona Anikiieva
Producer: Klaudia Pawlikowska
Cast: Adam Stelmaszak, Igor Legan
Synopsis: A homeless guy is going through his regular day. And then he met someone from the past.
Room 048 | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: Amanda Liaw
Writer: Amanda Liaw
Producers: Amanda Liaw, Sean Soper
Cast: Diana Gonzalez-Morett, Quincy Carrier, Diane Davisson, Ernest Walker, Samantha Dammeyer
Synopsis: Set in a single hotel room, this film traces its history from conception to decay through an intimate look at five of its occupants, all of whom the room once knew but have since been lost in time.
Stranded | Taiwan | 2018 | 14’
Director: HUANG,PEI-CHENG
Writer: HUANG,PEI-CHENG
Producers: KUO,HUI-LING, CHANG,YEN-CHI
Cast: LIN,YAN, JIANG,JIA-YUN
Synopsis: Everyone in this world has a little weirdness that nobody knows about. When Yu-Tang discovered Yi-Ching’s habit of eating hair, Yu-Tang rushed into the small room where Yi-Ching had collected all her hair, and there was a quarrel between them…
Reverb | United States | 2019 | 19’
Director: Arsal Asal
Writer: Arsal Asal
Producers: Arsal Asal, Jake Wachtel
Cast: Sarah Wong Thompson, Safinah Chau, Marlon Daniel Cowart, Lola Wong Thompson, Varghese Muthalaly, Grace Jensen, Ian Williams
Synopsis: A mourning mother facing the aftermath of losing her son in a school shooting meets a young graffiti artist in her late teens who is dealing with a loss of her own.
TECHNO | Bulgaria | 2019 | 04’
Director: Atanas Filipov
Writer: Atanas Filipov, Vladislav Budinov
Producer: NATFA ‘Krastio Sarafov’
Synopsis: ‘TECHNO’ emerges us into an ever escalating nightlife story full of colourful characters, indecent behaviour and an old man, playing an accordion. It’s a wild party that turns into an orgy until suddenly it’s interrupted by the signal of a phone battery going low.
Pernicio | Ireland | 2018 | 19’
Director: Dave Fox
Writer: Dave Fox
Producer: Laura Gaynor
Cast: Eoin O’Sullivan, Danielle Galligan
Synopsis: In this futuristic dark comedy, a young man explores his attitude towards life and death when his suicide plans are interrupted.
Away | United States | 2018 | 04’
Director: Milena Korolczuk
Writer: Michal Wronski
Producers: Rudy Lopez, Saray Paiva, Olly ZImina
Cast: Jeremy Roberts
Synopsis: We meet the protagonist, a white-collar family man, when he comes to in a crashed car. While in shock he doesn’t seem to notice the destruction the accident caused and leaves the vehicle with his family still inside. A couple of young hikers discovers the car and follows the man to a campground.
TIABD – TODAY IS A BAD DAY | Italy | 2017 | 15’
Director: Samuele Picarelli Perrotta
Writer: Mattia Serrago
Producers: Samuele Picarelli Perrorra, Ergasterio srl
Synopsis: After several years of attempts, Alex, a young scriptwriter, is about to make his dream come true: bring one of his stories on the big screen. A well-known producer though thinks his screenplay is not in line with the market. Preferring to invest in endearing characters and in themes wellknown to the public, he asks Alex to come back with something easier to sell…
The Dent | Taiwan | 2019 | 09’
Director: Yutseng Wu
Writer: Yutseng Wu
Producer: Janet Njau
Cast: Yutseng Wu, Thomas Grey
Synopsis: Max is looking for the perfect man to cure his loneliness. He comes across a beautiful boy, Chris, but will he prove to be the solution Max desires?
Get in the Car | United Kingdom | 2019 | 08’
Director: Theo Minter
Cast: Roisin O’Mahony, Dayle Hudson , Orlando Brooke
Synopsis: Bernie and Burt are a not-very-happily married couple. Working together has put a strain in their relationship causing them to bicker and argue incessantly…They also happen to be criminals for hire, assigned by a crime boss to kidnap someone. When that job goes wrong with a case of mistaken identity, they get an unexpected opportunity in the oddest of circumstances to work on their relationship issues.
“Me, my Germs and James” | United Kingdom | 2019 | 17’
Director: Anastasiia Vorotniuk
Writer: Anastasiia Vorotniuk
Producer: Justin Morse
Cast: Hellena Bullen, Isaac Birdsall, Sophie Jugé
Synopsis: A teenage romantic comedy about Lilly, who is a germophobe, because of the way she was raised by her mom. She dreams of her first kiss with the guy she loves, but because of the germs she imagines in his mouth, she is not able to. Yet, her first romantic feelings are bursting through her perfectly clean heart.
(MIS)COMMUNICATION | Spain | 2019 | 09’
Director: Andrea Isa
Producer: Andrea Isa
Synopsis: We discover the importance of language in human communication as we observe how several strangers who don’t know the same language interact.
When Father Went Biking | Czech Republic | 2019 | 11’
Director: Zuko Garagic
Cast: Roger Hendricks Simon
Synopsis: An estranged father with early onset dementia sets out to shave his head after discovering his daughter has been forced to wear a wig. The short film focuses on the harshness of growing old and the sacrifices we take on for family while also depicting Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in its natural form. The intent is to make a very raw and humanistic story that has a very documentary-like feel. It’s a heartwarming story combined with a sense of darkness similar to Emir Kusturica or Roberto Rossellini films.
Pulsar | Israel | 2019 | 17’
Director: Gregory Yarin
Writer: Gregory Yarin
Producer: Danil Tsiporukha
Cast: Paulo E. Moura
Synopsis: A story about an artist trying to adjust to the void left after his wife left him.
Lost in the universe | Thailand | 2019 | 30’
Director: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Writer: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Producer: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Cast: Tanbhiti Supatwanich, Wimwipa Khamjunwongsakun, Waranporn Chantanayingyong, Yanisa Vararaksapong, Thayatid Chaiyo
Synopsis: A struggle of a man trying to escape not only from the world he lives , but also what he is.
Everything You Want to Say | Canada | 2019 | 12’
Director: Edward Mines
Writer: Edward Mines
Producers: Sean M. Cullen, Edward Mines
Cast: Gordon Harper, Sara Hinding, Christef Desir, Teaghan Scarlet Young, Lucy Feng
Synopsis: A socially-challenged man struggles for control of his voice when an A.I. speech inhibitor jeopardizes his ailing relationships.
Farm Truck 912 | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Kylie Procita
Producers: Kylie Procita, Auralee Mayfield
Cast: Lena Banks, Tasha Cunningham
Synopsis: Farm Truck 912 is a mobile farm truck that emerged from the Forsyth Farmer’s Market and was started by two women. Its goals are to provide fresh produce to neighborhoods in Savannah, Georgia with low food access. Lena Banks and Tasha Cunningham, the current managers of the truck, discuss how the truck started, its goals for impacting Savannah, and how their work is making a difference in combatting unequal distribution of resources.
Matinée | Mexico | 2019 | 18’
Director: Alejandro Ortega Zaldívar
Writer: Alejandro Ortega Zaldívar
Producer: Ulysse de Maximy
Cast: Alejandro Ortega, Eduardo Orozco, Berenice Mastretta, Julio Maldonado, Danae Reynaud, Aaron Ortega, Miranda Norman
Synopsis: A young vagabund finds a movie ticket, inside the movie theatre he meets with the worst audience that won’t let him enjoy the film, this will unhinge a series of events that will change the vagabund life forever. Note: this is the english version, the spanish version also exists with all the titles and screens in spanish
