Animation Short – Official Selection – May 2021
RKLSS | Canada | 2020 | 06’
Director: Tank Standing Buffalo
Writer: Tank Standing Buffalo
Producer: Xstine Cook
Synopsis: Tank, a natural artist who is always drawing, runs into trouble with the law with his gang of friends. Tank is convicted, jailed, and subjected to solitary confinement and intense brutality. His art allows him to escape his terrible conditions. He discovers his own native spirituality while in jail, and through his art, finds a way to be in the world, and to reflect on his own reality.
MAN ON THE MOON | Australia | 2021 | 08’
Directors: Sean Conway, Oliver Jackson
Writers: Sean Conway, Nathan Hull
Producer: Goat King Writers Club
Cast: Sean Conway, Nathan Hull, Jon Pinder, Brian Gara
Synopsis: Patrolling Earth from the moon is the cushiest job an Alien can get, but when an incident turns Earth’s timeline on its head. All they can do now is watch and hope they don’t get fired!
198451 | Peru | 2020 | 12’
Director: Arturo Valentín Falconí Valderrama
Writer: Arturo Valentín Falconí Valderrama
Producers: Arturo Valentín Falconí Valderrama, Sofía Alexandra Serquen Portocarrero, Carlos Ruperto Inga Arévalo
Cast: ALEJANDRA MALAGA SABOGAL, JUAN ANTONIO LIMO GIRIBALDI, RAFAEL ADOLFO RAEZ LUNA
Synopsis: A dog travels around a world where the only ambition is to consume. After a tragic event, he discovers the cannibal way of life in this system, which will force him to fight or escape to survive.
Lone | United States | 2021 | 06’
Director: Kiana Caines
Cast: Trisha Mellon, Bryon Pearce, Frank Gresham, Zoë Panageas, Gabi Rodea
Synopsis: A novice space explorer is now stranded without her crew on an alien planet. She must survive as long as she can with her computer assistant, Atlas, as she waits for rescue.
Being A Dog | Sweden | 2021 | 09’
Director: Felix Swahn
Writer: Felix Swahn
Producer: Felix Swahn
Cast: Joakim Jennefors, Michaela Aardai Jennefors
Synopsis: Tim is longing for love. He’s a lonely human being who struggles with exclusion every day. Every time Tim feels different than others he transforms into a french bulldog. Ginger makes Tim feel human. Ginger is an old friend of Tims whom he was in love with, unrequited love. Tim collides with Ginger in the street, they talk and become friends again. After meeting Ginger Tim becomes a dog again. This time he chooses to enjoy being a dog and sees all the possibilities of a dogs life. It’s good to be a human being but it’s good being a dog sometimes too.
Debut – Official Selection – May 2021
LUGGAGE | Russian Federation | 2021 | 03’
Director: Mark Sergienko
Writer: Mark Sergienko
Producer: Mark Sergienko
Synopsis: The main character finds himself with his baggage, acquired during his life, on the stairs, which leads him to a new life. The main character needs to decide what was really important for him in his life.
Struindol | Bulgaria | 2021 | 13’
Director: Zornitsa Georgieva
Writer: Zornitsa Georgieva
Producer: Omeed Farzin
Cast: Lila Cohen
Synopsis: Bittersweet echoes of first love. Wonderlust and nostalgia interrupt the days of a teenage boy, as he tries to make sense of it all. Spiraling down the maze of time, in search of a sacred feeling, forever lost.
BUNNY | Russian Federation | 2021 | 24’
Director: Tatiana Ra
Writer: Maria Elagina
Producer: Tatiana Ra
Synopsis: Vanya is 7 years old, he is a wizard and friend of the defective Bunny, but his parents are seriously concerned about the boy’s strange behavior, worried about his unwillingness to communicate with his peers, and about his ailment: severe stuttering. His mother, having tried all the possibilities to help her child, decides to take him to the well-known neighborhood healer. To speak properly does not mean to be understood. Sometimes one hug can heal both a broken knee and a broken heart.
POLINA | Russian Federation | 2021 | 15’
Director: Daria Mikhailova
Writer: Yuri Leikin
Producer: Yuri Leikin
Synopsis: Once Polina’s phone gets a new function. All the people, she is taking photos of, disappear. If at first it makes her curious, then she understands that this way she can easily get rid of the unpleasant people and nobody will know about it. What will it lead to and what consequences will be?
Documentary Short – Official Selection – May 2021
The Inside | Germany | 2021 | 08’
Director: Christopher Larson
Producer: Christopher Larson
Synopsis: There are enough pipelines in just 120 countries to go around the world 87 times. But what happens when these pipelines fail? This short documentary follows 2 English pipe seal installers for one day as they rehabilitate small diameter 600mm (32″) pipelines in Germany.
The New Normal | India | 2020 | 05’
Director: Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen
Writer: Aekta Khubchandani
Producer: Running Cow films & Lockdown Shorts studio
Cast: Kalki Koechlin
Synopsis: Is the past the future we want ? The race to get back to normal made us question this very idea of normalcy itself – Is it normal that our planet is dying because of our economic priorities? Is it normal when lockdowns only protect the rich while the economically disadvantaged are left jobless and take to the streets? Is it normal that our children and relationships are dependent on the thin addictive threads of technology Is it normal that we live in a world without kindness? This film uses poetry and visual metaphor to explore these questions.
JADE | United Kingdom | 2020 | 07’
Director: Lara Singer
Producer: Lara Singer
Synopsis: JADE is a short film taken from our ‘Stories Untold’ project which is a series of short films featuring London-based migrants. After almost a year in development, and an extensive casting process, we selected six diverse stories to help spread a positive message and challenge the current rhetoric surrounding migration in a post-Brexit Britain. In our ever politically unhinged world we chat, moan, groan and celebrate our lives with likeminded people. People who have lived similar lives and share similar ambitions, successes and adversities. It seems that talking to people with the same views, and similar stories to our own, gives us the self-validation in today’s world. But, in a post-Brexit Britain, we think it’s imperative that we start to share stories outside of our own bubbles. We want to remind people that whoever we are, wherever we’ve come from, we are all navigating the world and trying to get by as best we can. We are all human. These collection of short films will speak to London migrants from all different social, political and economic backgrounds and ask them to tell us their story with their own words.
Every Sunday | Cyprus | 2020 | 24’
Director: Keti Papadema
Synopsis: A group of Filipino domestic workers in Cyprus prepare for a beauty pageant organised by their community, while a case of a serial killer targeting foreign female workers comes to the surface.
A Community Under Fire | Australia | 2021 | 23’
Directors: Harrison Thane, Matt Thane
Producers: Harrison Thane, Matthew Thane
Synopsis: We tell the story of a small but special regional town in during Australia’s 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfire season. We highlight the importance of community – everyday people doing extraordinary things to help our community survive and recover. And we show our town’s path to recovery. How we in Braidwood in New South Wales, faced our greatest existential threat, being surrounded by fire.
LET THERE BE COLOUR (2020) | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2020 | 15’
Director: Ado Hasanovic
Writer: Ado Hasanovic, Chiara Cruciatti , Prisca Van Der Mullen
Producer: Ado Hasanovic
Cast: Prisca Van Der Mullen, Alem Hatibović, Ludovica Filomeno
Synopsis: On September, 8 2019 Sarajevo hosts its first Pride March. Are people ready for this event?
Experimental Short – Official Selection – May 2021
Hollows and Ducts | 2021 | 09’
Directors: Tzion Abraham Hazan, Keren Ben Altabet, Avner Miryam Amit
Cast: Tzion Abraham Hazan, Keren Ben Altabet, Avner Miryam Amit
Synopsis: A collaborative video piece realising a specific musical potential embedded in the intimate connection between individuals through corporal cavities and facial orifices used as acoustic agents.
MAPS | Spain | 07’
Director: Alex Barrera
Writers: Alex Barrera, Montse Teixé
Producers: Alex Barrera, Hector Barrera
Cast: Pamela Fielld, Patrick Pfister
Synopsis: A man and a woman confront the terror of Alzheimer’s, facing the abyss of forgetting their lives, their loved ones, their identity.. Un hombre y una mujer se enfrentan a la terrible enfermedad del alzheimer, lo dos se encuentran frente al abismo de no recordar su vida, sus seres queridos, su identidad…
Departure | Ireland | 2020 | 04’
Director: Stephen Hall
Cast: Tobi Omoteso
Synopsis: This film is a reference to where we find ourselves in this current state of affairs. Where even trying to escape mentally is now somewhat tasking as we cannot physically escape these realities. The only solace is to find grace within the uncertainty by finding your own rhythm within the storms of life – This is a piece of our rhythm which is expressed using street dance & Hip-hop art forms – Breakin’, KRUMP (Kingdom Radically Uplifting Mighty Praise) and contemporary dance.
Gentle Wildfire | Netherlands | 2020 | 14’
Director: Simone Bennett
Writer: Simone Bennett
Producer: Interakt
Cast: Rúben Gomes, Sonia Santos, Rafael João Cabral da Silva
Synopsis: Gentle Wildfire is a short experimental film that deals with disappearing memories in the aftermath of a forest fire. Photographer Carlos’ self-confronting journey back to his hometown rekindles his connection to his roots.
The World Contained II | United States | 2019 | 04’
Directors: Leslie Kerby , Lianne Arnold
Producer: Leslie Kerby
Synopsis: The World Contained II video animation is the first collaboration between artist Leslie Kerby, video designer Lianne Arnold and sound designer Elisheba Ittoop. Based on a body of work and sculpture titled The World Contained, the animation activates the narrative around the global container industry illustrating the action (stacking and shipping) in shipping yards through to the movement of containers across the sea. It also reference the re-use of containers for building a variety of communities as well as for other market applications (mobile hydronic farming, retail markets, etc).
Fashion Short – Official Selection – May 2021
THE EYES | United States | 2020 | 04’
Directors: BELL SOTO , GABRIEL PENA
Producer: CORY BAUTISTA
Cast: ALINE WEBER
Synopsis: A photographer get inspired on the streets of new york between fantasy and reality
Waiting for Changes | Germany | 2021 | 11’
Directors: Maximilian Breckwoldt, Aleftina Karasyova
Writers: Maximilian Breckwoldt, Aleftina Karasyova
Producer: Guglielmo Curto
Cast: Daniela, Sissi, Frederick, One
Synopsis: The short-fashion-film Waiting for Changes reflects on a youth that is trapped in momentary paralysis, but eager to explore the possibilities of a new tomorrow through different modes of staging and performance. Stylistically as clinical as possible, observing the private sphere of its protagonists and characterizing their world as empty spaces defined by obsessive repitition, the figures slowly seem to merge into the white walls surrounding them. But soon this hegemony is broken when unforeseen, the outside invades the hermetically sealed apartment and the established balance spirals out of balance, throwing the characters into a world of transformative projections. Making use of this cathartic experience, the name-giving collection that is inspired by the music of the Russian band Кино and the poetry of their vocalist Viktor Zoi dresses the models in encoded garments that present individualistic solutions to the problem at hand and gives voice to their innermost self.
AAkasha #myCLT Futuristic Fashion Film Editorial | Bulgaria | 2019 | 03’
Director : Vasil Tuchkov
Writer: Vasil Tuchkov
Producer: Studio Rubik Ltd.
Cast: Eli Bineva, Tanya Ilieva
Synopsis: Aakasha #MyCLT is a fashion editorial art film, inspired by Neo Noir and Cyberpunk cults. The editorial opts to transmit the feeling of something grander, yet intimate – a secret about to be revealed exclusively to the one watching. Aakasha’s rebrand video is all about transformation, release, and transcendence. The protagonist is introduced as lost in her own world or head, until she notices the mysterious woman – the white rabbit she decides to follow on pure instinct, against all common sense.
Mini Short – Official Selection – May 2021
Big Touch | United States | 2020 | 03’
Director: Christopher Tenzis
Writer: Christopher Tenzis
Producer: Gabrielle Cordero
Cast: Raymond Ejiofor, Arabella Frost, Carly Stewart, Astra Marie Varnado
Synopsis: An Afro-Surrealist story about a giant woman and a tiny man who through the power of touch, experience an unexpected transformation.
PAX – TEASER | Russian Federation | 2021 | 03’
Director: Damir Bekerov
Writer: Sara Pennypacker
Producer: Valentin Murzin
Synopsis: An adaptation of Sara Pennypacker’s best-seller. Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter’s dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.
Kiss | Republic of Korea | 2021 | 03’
Director: Mooyoung
Writer: Mooyoung
Producer: Mooyoung
Cast: Jingoo, Kim doohee
Synopsis: The woman and the man kiss.
Idea | Chile | 2021 | 03’
Director: Francisco Palacios Reyes
Writer: Francisco Palacios Reyes
Cast: Trinidad Barros Beker
Synopsis: Ideas is a reflection on the creative processes, the series of exercises and experiences that lead us to conceive and carry out an idea.
Music Video – Official Selection – May 2021
THE BLUESTOCKING – NEVER READY | Russian Federation | 2021 | 07’
Director: Egor Gavrilin
Writer: Egor Gavrilin
Producer: Lucya Kravtsova
Synopsis: A look at 5 personal stories of the members of the band through the prism of magical surrealism with a tinge of steam punk and a dark fairytale.
Astronauts | France | 2021 | 06’
Director: Pauline Moreau
Writer: Pauline Moreau
Producers: Dominique Moreau, Pauline Moreau, Frédérique Delarue
Cast: Tamila de Naeyer, Sasha Hékimian, Padrig Vion, Antoine Miglioretti, Maxime Seghers
Synopsis: Jade has only one dream, she wants to travel into space. Unfortunately, she is condemned to work into a hotel corrupted by religion and where people practice obscurantic and extremist cults. Witness of sordid acts, she tries in vain to save a young enrolled woman. She will end up putting her own life in danger.
Thank You All I’m Fine | France | 2021 | 04’
Director: Fabien Constant
Producer: Marine Dorfmann
Cast: HollySiz
Monamour – Just Like This (ft. Jana) | Russian Federation | 2021 | 06’
Director: ALEKSANDR SEROV
Writer: ALEKSANDR SEROV
Producer: ALEKSANDR SEROV
Synopsis: Hi! Whatever happens in our lives we should dance with this lyrical song. This video is a fantasy about crazy life in Russia in near future. Including main problems in our country.
The Immortan Joe Memorial Highway | United States | 2021 | 04’
Director: Nathan Leigh
Synopsis: In a dystopian world, a small elephant stands up against an oppressive system.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – May 2021
Horizon | Italy | 2020 | 15’
Director: Daniele De Muro
Writer: Daniele De Muro
Producer: Daniele De Muro
Cast: Chiara Lai, Viola Scuderi, Carlo Porru
Synopsis: In the borderlands, crossed by climate refugees looking for safety, men face their primordial nature, in a bleak reality where the law of the strongest rules the world. Hidden in an underground shelter and resigned to his fate, the main character observes the definitive decline of society as it surrender to the evil nature of men, until a special encounter, interpreted as a divine sign of light, turns on his faith and hope for the future of humanity.
The List | Brazil | 2021 | 26’
Director: Luciana de Oliveira
Writer: Gustavo Pinheiro
Producers: Joaquim Haickel, Elisa Tolomelli
Synopsis: In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, retired Laurita uses her young neighbor, Amanda, to do her grocery shopping. In the midst of all this, the two are venting a whirlwind of repressed memories and feelings, sadness and joy, and end up comforting each other.
The Dutchman’s Pipe | 2021 | 19’
Director: Béla Baptiste
Writers: S. Brian Jones, Béla Baptiste
Producers: Béla Baptiste, S. Brian Jones
Cast: Michael J. Burg, Nixon Frederick, Johnny Brantley Iii, Alexey Hartlieb-Shea, Jacob Morton, Dolly Lewis, Kellye Rowland, Tara Bruno, Roman Ivanov, Eli Freireich
Synopsis: Two detectives have been called to the mansion of Mrs. Deroche. She has gone missing and so has her 17th century heirloom – The Dutchman’s Pipe. Their only suspect is the young Austrian appraiser sent to retrieve the priceless gem.
Against my will | France | 2021 | 29’
Director: Nils Lane
Writer: Nils Lane
Producer: Nils Lane
Cast: Lydie Misiek, Simon Gagnage, Guillemette Dumont, Maiya Sinclair, Valérie Enquin, Soledad Martin, Benjamin Chouchan, Amandine Bataille, Nils Lane, Fréderic Remblière, Océane Saulnier, Katia Bardy
Synopsis: Valérie, a successful woman, happy in her couple, has left her consulting firm to open a very popular restaurant. Unfortunately, her life is suddenly turned upside down when the second lockdown of the French population was announced. At the end of her rope, psychologically exhausted and financially weakened, Valérie is now on the edge of the precipice. With no lifeline on the horizon and as she retreats into herself, she slowly succumbs to an insidious addiction much to the dismay of those close to her.
English Breakfast | The Netherlands | 2021 | 24’
Director: Zoë Kiani
Writers: Hanna van Twillert, Zoë Kiani
Producers: Zoë Kiani, Dena Meere, Hellen Clemens
Cast: Rami Kooti Arab
Synopsis: Majid Dayaani, a 15-year-old Iranian boy decides he doesn’t want to experience the new regime that the revolution in 1979 brings with it. He leaves his religious, wealthy family in Isfahan and leaves for London. Once arrived, Majid is confronted with an enormous cultural shock, lack of money, the loss of his family and the isolation of his proud father. He ends up in a hotel where he has to overcome obstacles such as eating breakfast, telephone calls and communication without speaking the language. In this process, Majid makes new friendships, is confronted with himself and his fears and begins to discover a new world and with it his new life. A film about the price of freedom, the pain of letting go and coming home to strangers in an overwhelming new world.
It Will Get Better | Brazil | 2020 | 18’
Director: Pedro Fiuza
Writer: Pedro Fiuza
Producer: Pedro Fiuza
Cast: Cássia Damasceno, Henrique Fontes, Rogério Ferraz, Geraldo Maia, Rodrigo Bico, Enio Cavalcante, Giovanna Araújo, Débora Medeiros, Alessandra Augusta, Andreia Souza, Larissa Grazielly, Bruno Cortez, Robson Medeiros, Pedro Queiroga, Priscilla Vilela, Maria Gorette, Dinha Vítor, Alice Carvalho, Thulho Siqueira, Quitéria Kelly
Synopsis: Working as a TV host of an important political campaign for mayor, Luisa suffers with the professional relations with her co-workers. It’s the last week before the first round of local elections and Luisa, away from her hometown and family, discovers a serious scandal that could jeopardize the entire election. Not only must she now decide her fate, but that of an entire city.
Premium Baby | France | 2019 | 13’
Director: Jeanne Signé
Writers: Nicolas Haudelaine, Jeanne Signé
Producers: Samuel Prat / Studio Off-Courts, Emilie Moreault / Studio Off-Courts, Catherine Benoît / Spira
Cast: Elizabeth Duperré, Nicola-Frank Vachon, Guillaume Perreault, Romane Goulet
Synopsis: In a near future, a couple enters a shop to buy a baby.
Snorrie (Mustachio) | Netherlands | 2021 | 12’
Director: Victoria Warmerdam
Writer: Victoria Warmerdam
Producer: Trent
Cast: Henry van Loon, Wim Willaert, Sieger Sloot
Synopsis: Absurd tragicomedy about thirty-something Freek, who is reuniting with his imaginary friend from the past, who is looking for closure.
Odds or Evens | Spain | 2020 | 19’
Directors: Dan Jiménez, Gabriela Martínez
Writers: Dan Jiménez, Alba Herrera
Producer: Dan Jiménez, Alba Herrera
Cast: Dan Jiménez, Pepe Palomo, Beto Mendoza, Natalia Martínez, Alberto Pareja
Synopsis: A young father named Leo receives constant visits from his son in prison. One day, Lili, the mother of the kid; informs Leo of a decision that will tear his world apart completely.
Sisterly Love | Denmark | 2021 | 14’
Director: David Zinck
Writer: David Zinck
Producer: Ida Guld
Cast: Alvilda Lyneborg Lassen, Anna Olympia Bøss, Clara-Aviaya
Helsted Hvid, Dina Munch Rasmussen, Sara Saabye, Kajsa Dirch, Linnea Olivia Belfrage, Anna Holm Donatzky
Synopsis: A conflict arises between sisters Ida and Sofie when little sister infiltrates big sister’s girl gang. During the course of one night, their already strained relationship is tested through violence and manipulation.
Masquerade | Ireland | 2020 | 13’
Director: John Kelly
Writer: John Kelly
Producer: Emily Kelly
Cast: Barry Roe, Derek O’Sullivan, Karl Brown, Gerry Cannon, Audrey Carolan, Rachel Walshe, Jack Healy, James Stephen Walsh
Synopsis: For the family of a Duke to survive in England, 1916, they must choose between family and reputation. People wear masks to hide their true inventions – but a snake that sheds its skin is still a snake, and the world sees only what you show it.
before it melts | Hong Kong | 2021 | 15’
Directors: Elson, Chan Tsz Yan
Writers: Elson, Chan Tsz Yan, Law Kin Ho
Producers: Elson, Chan Tsz Yan, Jomin, Chan Po Man, Wylie, Chan Wai Yee, Sam, Ip Siu Chung, Una, Wang Oi Mai
Cast: Lo Chun Yip (Siu Yea)
Synopsis: When Lok’s estranged father passed away, he left nothing but an ice cream motorcycle. Lok doesn’t know how to ride one, so he has no way but to walk alongside it. During his trip, not only does Lok get to know more about his father, but it also leads him to reflect on his relationship with his son.
Servus Karl | Austria | 24’
Director: Thomas Bischof
Writer: Thomas Bischof
Producer: Thomas Bischof
Cast: Erwin Steinhauer, Isabella Jeschke, May Garzon, Robert Slivovsky, Gerald Walsberger
Synopsis: SERVUS KARL is an evil fictional reflection of a milieu in the face of its downfall. The observation of a world at a standstill, and of its characters that want to break out of it. The film follows Karl, a retiree and ex-thug, on his way through the bars and brothels of Vienna. Through documentary scenes the viewers experience the standstill that rules his world. Besides, they observe the characters’ lack of prospects and how they are struggling through the night under the burden of misery well aware that there is no escape. In the midst of this standstill, Karl gets to realise the evanescence of things and his own mortality. As he takes drunken Leo to his favourite bar, the situation gets out of control. Leo gives the prostitute Julie a bloody nose and destroys her hopes of escape from her misery. Later, Karl’s night ends in a way that is surprising for every person involved. He commits a murder to avoid vanishing into oblivion.
Dress | United States | 2019 | 16’
Director: Paulina Lagudi Ulrich
Writers: Brian Carufe, Alexander Day
Producer: Max Landwirth
Cast: Tess Sullivan, Madeline Dennison, Jane Edwine Seymour, Thom Rachford
Synopsis: Two women confront their uncertain futures (and each other) as one readies for college and the other for a big date.
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – May 2021
Sister Austere | Switzerland | 2021 | 18’
Director: Antoine Humbert
Writer: Antoine Humbert
Producer: Antoine Humbert
Cast: Delphine Buresi, Anne-Marie Lehmann, Naomie Margot
Synopsis: At the convent, nobody has ever seen Sister Esther smile, which explains the nickname she received! But Sister Austere is also known for her steadiness, and it is her who is chosen one day to go out and look for the young novice Mathilde, who just escaped from the convent. However, this little trip will turn out to be far from trivial for Esther, whose big secret will eventually be revealed.
Dilemma | Spain | 2021 | 06’
Director: Luis Suarez Bracho
Writers: Luis Suarez Bracho, Ángela Aguilar López
Producer: Luis Suarez Bracho
Cast: Ángela Aguilar López
Synopsis: In a rural setting, a young nun, disenchanted with her faith, wishes to hang up her habits and looks into suicide as the immediate solution to her reality.
All the Reasons for Killing | United States | 2021 | 16’
Director: David de Juan Navarro
Writer: David de Juan Navarro
Producers: David de Juan Navarro, Kimberly Higgins
Cast: Dan Marotte, Michael Ward, Kimberly Higgins
Synopsis: The night before a heist, a veteran robber shares a drink and an unwanted conversation with a man that claims to be one of the bandits responsible for the San Tomas Bank Masscare.
Night of the Jarrawog | Australia | 2021 | 14’
Directors: Paddy Malone, Jack Malone
Writers: Paddy Malone, Jack Malone
Producer: Paddy Malone
Cast: Jack Malone, Paddy Malone
Synopsis: A pizza boy is embroiled in a crazed customer’s monster hunt.
Idea | Chile | 2021 | 03’
Director: Francisco Palacios Reyes
Writer: Francisco Palacios Reyes
Cast: Trinidad Barros Beker
Synopsis: Ideas is a reflection on the creative processes, the series of exercises and experiences that lead us to conceive and carry out an idea.
Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – May 2021
Selma & Clarice | United Kingdom | 2019 | 31’
Directors: Yennis Cheung, Nicky Cook
Writers: Yennis Cheung, Shin-Fei Chen
Producers: Yennis Cheung, Shin-Fei Chen, Edward De Gaetano
Cast: Shin-Fei Chen, Yennis Cheung, James Oliver Wheatley, Edward De Gaetano, Amir Tabrizi, Chiedu Agborh, Benjamin Wong, Samantha Schnitzler, Dan Poole, Rebecca Yeo, Grace Alexander-Scott, James Sobol Kelly, Catherine McDonough, Anne Woodward-Malin, Fenja Ikonomou, Emma Collins, Windson Liong, Mark Roy Tsai, Robin Khor Yong Kuan, Robert Hackney, Rowena Hume
Synopsis: A SEXPOT AND SOCIOPATH ON THE RUN Two Chinese women – a gambling addict sexpot and a sociopathic med-school dropout – reluctantly motorbike across America to find their mutual lover, pursued by flamboyant criminals who may murder them to settle old debts.
FRITURES /FRY-UP | France | 2020 | 04’
Director: Jonathan RIO
Producer: Bruno FLORENTIN
Synopsis: Archibald a créé, il y a 30 ans, la célèbre baraque à frites « Le Lys d’Or » et souhaite passer la main. Sa nièce, Éléna, se lance à corps perdu dans l’affaire. Bien décidée à innover pour relancer l’activité de la friterie, elle propose chaque jour, à chaque épisode, une idée aussi farfelue que chaotique et bouscule les habitudes de son oncle. En aucun cas ces deux-là ne sont faits pour travailler ensemble. Deux personnalités s’affrontent, deux univers, deux générations …. Entre eux, il y a de la friture sur la ligne ! Thirty years ago, Archibald created his famous friterie “Le Lys d’Or” and wants to pass it on. His niece Éléna dives headlong into the business. Determined to innovate to revive the friterie’s fortunes, each day (each episode) she comes up with a far-fetched, chaotic idea to shake her uncle out of a rut. These two are definitely not made to work together. A clash of personalities, worlds, and generations… It’s a recipe that never fails to sizzle!
Almost Friends | France | 2021 | 06’
Director: SANZ Y BUENO John
Writers: SANZ Y BUENO John, JACQUES Alicia, SANZ Y BUENO Rémi
Cast: Rémi SANZ Y BUENO, Alicia JACQUES, Alexandre Massonnet
Synopsis: Michael recently quit his full-time job to become an actor. In order to afford his apartment, he must find a roommate. A team of documentary filmmakers have decided to film his adventure. They are soon going to realise that Michael is looking for more than just a roommate. He’s searching for a best friend. That’s why Michael is willing to dress up and even to test his potential roommates. Helped by his sister, Lily, and his theatre coach, Francis, Michael will find out that his worst enemy is himself.
Contact High |15’
Director: Woody Woodhall
Writer: Woody Woodhall
Producer: Wendy Woodhall
Cast: Graham Drake Maurer, Taylor LeBaugh, Valentina Cole, Jake Reiner
Synopsis: Two old friends hope to change the world through their special brand of cannabis. Once a mysterious woman enters their lives, they find that the interest in their bud is out of this world.
1 of Those Days | Argentina | 2020 | 01’
Director: Andy Gorostiaga
Writers: Sabrina Barca, Andy Gorostiaga
Producer: Sabrina Barca
Cast: Ailin Salas
Synopsis: “1 of Those Days” follows a day in the life of Mumi, a young woman on her way to a party. Mumi will have to overcome dramatic, yet wildly relatable experiences in order to complete her journey. Shot entirely on an iPhone and in vertical format. “1 of Those Days” humorously symbolizes the coming of age, the absurdity of everyday life and the perseverance through it all.
Brothers on The Phone | United States | 2020 | 10’
Director: Corwin Moore
Writer: Corwin Moore
Producer: Corwin Moore
Cast: Corwin Moore
Synopsis: BROTHERS ON THE PHONE
Emmy nominated writer/comedian Corwin Moore brings you Brothers on The Phone. If Saturday Night Live and Nick Cannon’s Wildin’ Out had a baby, it would not be this show, and a really ugly baby. Brothers on The Phone is a fast-paced hybrid sketch comedy show with only one major theme, the whole show is centered around the funny, crazy, and real things we all share on the phone. Every day on this planet, billions of people are on their phones, and those conversations are inspiring, informative, and just downright silly. So, let’s see those bizarre and funny conversations on the phone. Every show will start and end the same way, on the phone. But during the back and forth, we can cut away to the “silliness” of the conversation. So if someone on the phone says, “A homemade sex-tape ruined my relationship!” Then we cut to that ruined sex-tape. This show is definitely for the sketch variety show crowd. Anyone that can get into Saturday Night Live, Wildin’ Out, Broad City, can definitely enjoy this show. This show is a perfect fit for the web or 30-minute episodic television format. The hook is simple here; everyone is on the phone, so let’s see it.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – May 2021
The Dolly Fatty | China | 2021 | 31’
Director: Feng Linzhe
Nachete | Spain | 2020 | 04’
Directors: Pau Rodilla, David Gaspar
Writers: Jaime Aguiló, Pau Rodilla, David Gaspar
Producers: Pau Rodilla, Jaime Aguiló, David Gaspar
Cast: María Maroto, Genís Benavent
Synopsis: A man is unfaithful to his girlfriend. He knows she will never listen to any excuse or forgive him. That’s why he takes her to the perfect place for a confession. It looks like a perfect plan.
The Gone Boy | Russian Federation | 2021 | 20’
Director: Eva Risner
Writers: Eva Eisner, Alexander Scherba
Producer: Eva Eisner
Cast: Miriam Sekhon, Georgiy Fetisov, Ivan Pokhmelkin, Maria Zaykova, Oleg Okhotnichenko, Fedor Leonov
Synopsis: Two detectives are investigating the disappearance of a man, when new details turn up.
Brothers on The Phone | United States | 2020 | 10’
Director: Corwin Moore
Writer: Corwin Moore
Producer: Corwin Moore
Cast: Corwin Moore
Synopsis: BROTHERS ON THE PHONE
Emmy nominated writer/comedian Corwin Moore brings you Brothers on The Phone. If Saturday Night Live and Nick Cannon’s Wildin’ Out had a baby, it would not be this show, and a really ugly baby. Brothers on The Phone is a fast-paced hybrid sketch comedy show with only one major theme, the whole show is centered around the funny, crazy, and real things we all share on the phone.
Every day on this planet, billions of people are on their phones, and those conversations are inspiring, informative, and just downright silly. So, let’s see those bizarre and funny conversations on the phone. Every show will start and end the same way, on the phone. But during the back and forth, we can cut away to the “silliness” of the conversation.
So if someone on the phone says, “A homemade sex-tape ruined my relationship!” Then we cut to that ruined sex-tape. This show is definitely for the sketch variety show crowd. Anyone that can get into Saturday Night Live, Wildin’ Out, Broad City, can definitely enjoy this show. This show is a perfect fit for the web or 30-minute episodic television format. The hook is simple here; everyone is on the phone, so let’s see it.
Short Dance/Musical – Official Selection – May 2021
2020 | Russian Federation | 2021 | 05’
Director: Katya Telegina
Writer: Katya Telegina
Producers: Asya Kotelnikova, Yulia Kuzkina, Maxim Kuzmin
Synopsis: The video project “2020” is an attempt to understand and feel what is happening in 2020 through the art forms of dance and video. The film is the result of a collaboration between prima ballerina Diana Vishneva, choreographer Pavel Glukhov and director Katya Telegina.
Colors: White | India | 15’
Director: AK Srikanth
Writer: AK Srikanth
Cast: Savitha Sastry, Varsha Raviprakasha, Krupa Ramachandran
Synopsis: ‘Colors’ is a trilogy of short films created by AK Srikanth (the Writer and Director), and performed by Savitha Sastry. ‘Colors’ refers to the three colours of the Indian national flag, and the trilogy is a series that juxtaposes the life of a woman today, with the visions that the founding fathers had when India got its independence. The color white in the Indian national flag stands for peace and truth. ‘Colors: White’ the dance film is an examination of a woman who dares to stand true to her beliefs, and pursues it despite the varied reactions around her. In doing so, she finally finds her peace. The story is a poetic representation of Savitha’s own life, of how she broke loose from the rigid confines of traditional Bharatanatyam, and found her own path – that of completely changing the narrative structure of the content of Bharatanatyam performances without compromising on the technical aspects of the dance form. The narrative is applicable to one and all – the act of breaking the box and stepping out, is one of courage, resilience and self-belief.
So far so good | Switzerland | 2021 | 05’
Directors: Brigitte Fässler, William Bejedi
Writers: Brigitte Fässler, William Bejedi, Stylez’C
Producer: cubique presents
Cast: Stylez’c
Synopsis: JUSQU’A ICI TOUT VA BIEN Racial profiling Stylez’C
A dark-skinned young man falls to the ground after being shot, gets up, and stumbles to a cube seeking protection. In this safe space, he expresses his innermost feelings, anger, and powerlessness. It is the year 2021, and the topic of racial profiling and racism is more relevant than ever – and not just on the streets of Los Angeles or on television screens. What looks like a trend to some is a centuries-long struggle for justice and equality to others. Every day, people are discriminated against based on their skin color or origin. Being affected by racism, Swiss dancer and Hip Hop Freestyle World Champion Stylez’C JUSQU’A ICI TOUT VA BIEN gives expression to his feelings that racist harassment triggers him by a powerful performance. The directing duo Fässler and Bejedi masterfully packed this explosive mixture into a short film and, through this emotionally charged and at the same time aesthetic production, confronts the audience with a social taboo matter in a straightforward way. Turning away is not an option. The video „jusqu‘ici tout va bien“ – a collaboration with the Swiss dancer and hip hop freestyle world champion Stylez‘C – setting a clear sign against racism and racial profiling in Switzerland. They demand justice and equality for all people, regardless of origin and skin color. The highly emotional and at the same time aesthetic confrontation with such a socially taboo matter forces the audience to watch, and thus confronts them in a very direct way, turning away is not an option and an active dialogue in the search for solutions can be started. The video production was made possible by numerous supporters through crowdfunding, and thanks to great initiative of all involved.
Short Drama – Official Selection – May 2021
NAIDA | Russian Federation | 2020 | 20’
Director: Yuri Sholin
Writer: Ivan Gamayun
Producer: Yuri Sholin
Synopsis: The only friend of the stern, scorched by the war in Afghanistan, guard Sergei, who has lost the meaning of life after the loss of his family, is the dog Naida. But he will soon face a difficult choice.
The Only Beautiful Thing | United States | 2020 | 15’
Director: Elizabeth Irwin
Writer: Elizabeth Irwin
Producers: Elizabeth Irwin, Mara Kassin , Rabia Sultana
Cast: Mara Kassin, Tara Pacheco, Annie Henk, Sinatra
Synopsis: Sinatra, a pitbull, just graduated from a training program that pairs rescue dogs and prison inmates. Nikki and her partner Margaux agree to foster Sinatra but we soon find out this act of generosity comes with strings attached. Can the women’s relationship survive what this new arrival brings up?
Trading Hearts with Victor Shaw | United States | 2021 | 17’
Director: Sammy Zeisel
Writer: Georgi McCauley
Cast: Sam Boeck, Georgi McCauley
Synopsis: It’s a familiar story–boy meets girl, girl gives boy her heart, boy puts it in his backpack and forgets about it. Tinged with the surreal, this short film tells a relatable story about the blurry line between passion and possession and the sometimes bumpy journey to self-love.
Dress | United States | 2019 | 16’
Director: Paulina Lagudi Ulrich
Writers: Brian Carufe, Alexander Day
Producer: Max Landwirth
Cast: Tess Sullivan, Madeline Dennison, Jane Edwine Seymour, Thom Rachford
Synopsis: Two women confront their uncertain futures (and each other) as one readies for college and the other for a big date.
Student Short – Official Selection – May 2021
Always Be Green | 19’
Lost In The Moment | Luxembourg | 2020 | 16’
Director: Felix Schaaf
Writer: Felix Schaaf
Cast: Gilbert Johnston, Céline Planata, Antoinette Schaaf
Synopsis: Waking up, reading the newspaper and fishing, what looks like a normal day in the life of Rob seems getting disrupted when his granddaughter Holly comes to visit.
Crazy Guys | China | 2020 | 31’
Director: GUAN LICHEN
Writer: GUAN LICHEN
Producer: MA ZHIXIN
Cast: GUAN LICHEN
Synopsis: The film tells the story of three characters: a student who loves drawing, a student who wants to fall in love, and an open mind teacher. These three persons in this school are different like the other people, They are “crazys”in other people‘s eyes.Everyone else in the school thinks they are abnormal, and everyone else is old-fashioned in the eyes of the three, so most of other people in this school is dressed in ancient clothes in the eyes of the three main characters. They pursue what they pursue, but they are strongly hindered by teachers and parents. For them, the chances of success are very slim. However, this story is Sam’s film,but he has been blocked in the censorship.He wants to break out of the obstacles, at this time his fate seems to be the same as the fate of the characters in his film.
Rebel with a Cause | Netherlands | 2021 | 15’
Director: Tom Roggen
Writer: Tom Roggen
Producer: Tom Roggen
Cast: Lucas Winnips, Rosanne Rootert
Synopsis: Rebel With a Cause tells the story of climate activist Lucas Winnips (46). After learning about the changing climate, he starts to worry and decides to take matters into his own hands, however intense that can sometimes be. Lucas has always known that the climate is changing and that life on earth is in danger. Like many others, he watched the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, about global warming. He began to read more and more about environmental pollution and the consequences if the earth were to warm by two degrees. In view of his children, he decided he needed to do more. He felt that people should rebel against this injustice. The range of activism at that time, however, did not fit the image that Lucas had in mind. During an protest by Extinction Rebellion to occupy the Stadhouderskade in Amsterdam, Lucas decided to join the movement. A movement that, it says, exists because the government refuses to implement policies to protect its citizens. Lucas is one of the thousands of rebels of Extinction Rebellion, a movement that is active in 72 countries.
BA HAM – together | Germany | 2020 | 29’
Director: Shahab Habibi
Writer: Maurice Sinner
Producer: Felix Klett (Creative Producer)
Synopsis: The political refugee Pouya never knows who is an enemy and who a friend, but when the political situation in his homeland comes to a head, he must take a risk and be willing to trust in order to finally bring his wife Nikta to safety.
Selina | Germany | 2020 | 25’
Director: Greta Benkelmann
Writer: Greta Benkelmann
Producer: Thowo Wolkowski (Creative Producer)
Synopsis: Selina wants to get away from her broken circumstances. Her boyfriend Nico takes her on a joyride that ends prematurely. The abyss of their young love is unearthed. When Selina meets Katharina, she increasingly recognizes Katharina’s pain as her own and Selina must ask herself: What does love have to endure?
Ada and Naemi | Germany | 2020 | 28’
Director: Wiebke Becker
Writer: Miriam Suad Bühler
Producer: Steffen Gerdes (Creative Producer)
Synopsis: When Naemi decides to meet her father for the first time in 19 years, there’s not only a journey into the unknown ahead of her, but also a half-sister she didn’t know about yet.
Wild Raspberries | Germany | 2020 | 27’
Director: Marie Christin König
Writers: Pola Raiser, Co Author Marie C. König
Producer: Benedikt Maurer (Creative Producer)
Synopsis: Carpenter Alex is dragged into the house by the lonely shepherdess Rita after she has picked him up from the side of the road. An offbeat romance quickly develops between the two, which is put to the test by the wolf in the area and unexpectedly pushes the two to their limits.
Silent Zone | Germany | 2020 | 29’
Director: Caren Wuhrer
Writer: Caren Wuhrer
Producer: Giacomo Vernetti (Creative Producer)
Cast: Effi Rabsilber, Katarzyna Faszczewska , Uwe Rohde
Synopsis: Alice, uncommunicative and electrohypersensitive, lives in seclusion in a dead zone deep in the Northern German forest. But then her hermitage is suddenly disturbed by the sex worker Lucia, who settles on the border of Alice’s safe space with her lovemobile.
Blip | United States | 2021 | 02’
Director: Hannah Sun
Synopsis: Blip is a short 2D animation that explores the topic of digital addiction, an issue increasing year by year and especially during the pandemic lockdown. In an exaggerated style, the animation portrays the experience of isolation and distraction many people share today with frequent use of digital technology.
Private Eye & Apple Pie | Canada | 2021 | 11’
Director: Derek Sharp
Writer: Mike Jones
Producer: Kaitlyn McKale
Cast:Michael Vassi, Gaetano Peritore, Karina Correa
Synopsis: Tom, a 15-year-old private detective, is spurred to action when his best friend Jimmy comes over, heartbroken and despondent. Using all of his detective skill he unknowingly walks a path that may destroy his friendship.
Disease of Fictions | United States | 2021 | 06’
Director: Zackary J. Cowell
Synopsis: A brief personal account of hypochondria, its behavioral patterns, and how it lies to your mind.
Seeped | India | 2021 | 15’
Director: Mauraya Sharma
Writer: Mauraya Sharma
Producers: Neeraj Sharma, Upasna Sharma
Cast: Pooja Shyam Prabhat, Saloni Thakral, Pooja Verma
Synopsis: Entangled in the walks of life, paper-making artist, Kaivalya tussles with her past & is reinvigorated by the exploration of sexuality, pain, filtration & unplanned co-relations. Kaivalya is entrenched within a pulp-like substance that eventually dries up and peels into textured and nuanced paper. Vimeo link- https://vimeo.com/534102946/4e549a80ba
Look through my eyes | Spain | 2020 | 14’
Director: Miren Amuskibar
Writers: Nacho Arance, Miren Amuskibar
Producer: Estíbaliz Martínez
Cast: Andrea Hermoso, Mauricio Bautista, Isabel Ampudia, Pablo Viña
Synopsis: Luna is a teenager who has just lost her grandfather. Upset an full of anger, she will blame her parents for not respect her grandfather’s last wishes. She will have to take courage and decide whether reveal (or not) her grandfather’s last secret.
I’m leaving | Spain | 2020 | 12’
Director: Magda Casellas
Writers: Magda Casellas, Marina Schneider
Producer: Alba Herrera
Cast: Esther Sanz, Adriana Lifante, Santi Cuquejo
Synopsis: Carme is a young woman in process to stop living with her best friend, instead, she is leaving their flat for live with her girlfriend. Everything goes fine at first, until Carme’s girlfriend’s quirks starts driving her crazy, and she takes care how much she miss her best friend.
A Glass of Desire | Turkey | 2021 | 15’
Director: Yusuf Olmez
Writer: Yusuf Olmez
Producer: Yusuf Olmez
Cast: Melis Balaban, Rutger Lysen, Niklas Molander, Daria Vlasenko
Synopsis: A young woman’s husband is mysteriously taken away from her at dawn. She tries to mourn by remembering him through objects and imitation but this leads to a destructive discovery of her desires towards the mysterious entities that took her husband away. She finds herself in a realistic limbo of unexpected desires.
Wild Fire | United States | 04’
Director: Zachary R Campbell
Synopsis: A woodsman on a camping trip attempts to put out a fire that refuses to be extinguished.
Till Death Brings Us Together | Canada | 2021 | 07’
Synopsis: A ghostly wife tries to bring her husband to the afterlife with her.
Final Deathtination | Japan | 2021 | 03’
Director: Marika Tamura
Writer: Marika Tamura
Synopsis: A suicidal man encounters Death who is a “travel agent” to find the best place to die and goes on a world tour.
