Amateur Short – Official Selection – September 2020
THANKS, DAD | United States | 2020 | 05’
Director: Joy Waldinger
Writer: Joy Waldinger
Producer: Joy Waldinger
Cast: Stephen Waldinger
Synopsis: THANKS, DAD is a short film in which Father Time, whose voice is my dad’s, gives his child a motivational speech for each season via letters. Each season has a different message and his tone is much like a life coach’s as it booms through a megaphone. This short film comes on the heels of one of my previous works, HEY, IT’S MOM, where Mother Nature leaves a voicemail for her child who hasn’t answered her calls in years where I feature my mom’s own voicemail message.
Bacon | United States | 2019 | 11’
Director: Christopher Farmer
Writer: Christopher Farmer
Producers: Backie Thomas, Adam Daniels
Cast: Courtney D.M., Tee Forest
Synopsis: During what seems like the end of the world, a young couple navigates the complicated task that is….breakfast.
7/16 | United States | 2020 | 05’
Director: Joshua Albalos
Synopsis: A man and a woman get a sign for when they will meet each other and fall in love.
Calm Down | United States | 2020 | 05’
Director: Christopher Peay
Writer: Christopher Peay
Producer: Christopher Peay
Cast: Brandon Lee W., David Lami-Friebe, Emiliano Sorrosa-Elioenai
Synopsis: Ryan and Will are two friends from high school and they are gambling outside late at night. Ryan has been winning for most of the night. Will sees their other friend from high school Justin. Justin and Ryan used to be on the high school basketball team. They were both point guards , but Ryan was the starter until he suffered a career ending injury. Justin became the starter and became a star point guard. He eventually got a scholarship to Clemson. Ryan has been jealous of him ever since Justin got the scholarship. Will convinces Justin to join the game. Ryan can’t hide his jealously and gets into an argument with Justin. Ryan feels like Justin is living the life that he could’ve been living if he didn’t get hurt.
Animation Short – Official Selection – September 2020
You are (not) the only one | Italy | 2020 | 03’
Director: Riccardo Albertazzi
Producer: Riccardo Albertazzi
Cast: Pierluigi Bevilacqua, Gianmaria Vannoni
Synopsis: A day in quarantine with John Lennon.
Depression: From Bloodletting to Wearable Devices| United Kingdom | 2020 | 04’
Director: Alina Ivan
Writer: Alina Ivan
Producer: Alina Ivan
Synopsis: Our understanding of depression has evolved dramatically throughout the years, and new ways to track symptoms are emerging. From bloodletting practices to wearable technologies and mobile phones, follow a multi-disciplinary take on the evolution of perceptions of depression and its potential treatments. The hand-drawn animated film is an art-science collaboration between psychology researcher Alina Ivan, a PhD student and animator Sophia Ppali, and a music producer Wimperis, developed with the help of people with lived experience. We hope that the video will start must-needed conversations about mental health. Subtitles are available in multiple languages.
Sheep, Wolf and a Cup of Tea… | France | 2019 | 13’
Director: Marion Lacourt
Producers: Edwina Liard, Nidia Santiago
Synopsis: At night, while family members indulge in curious rituals before sleeping, a child invokes a wolf from the bottom of a box hidden under his bed. Disturbing sheep then besiege the door of his bedroom….
Heart Of The Nation | United Kingdom | 2020 | 03’
Director: Tribambuka (Anastasia Beltyukova)
Producer: Aditi Anand
Synopsis: A short animation celebrating the role of migrants in the NHS, for the exhibition in Migration Museum, London
Quick Fix | Canada | 2020 | 04’
Director: Alexandra Lemay
Writer: Alexandra Lemay
Prodcers: Alexandra Lemay, Kacim Steets
Cast: Daniel Amerman, Vic Lamontagne
Synopsis: Quick Fix is a stop-motion/Live-action hybrid that explores the comedic parallels between our throwaway habits and serial dating. This bittersweet love affair follows a coffee cup who becomes smitten by his drinker only to discover she may not be as loyal as he assumed.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – September 2020
Jungle Dreams | Mexico | 2020 | 25’
Director: Mariana Azcárate
Producer: Mariana Azcárate
Synopsis: The first children’s theatre workshop in the Lacandon Jungle
Hamda |10’
Director: Ilona Szekeres
Synopsis: Formula 1 is one of the few sports in the world that allows women to line up and compete against men. The film follows the story of Hamda, a 17 year old strong and determined young Emirati Formula 4 race car driver, and her journey. Time slows down and almost stops in the middle of a race. But what time needs to be sacrificed to achieve this? Racing is not only her passion but is a shared passion in her family. Does that mean her passion and her family time overlaps? The film explores the themes of family, sisterhood, following one’s passion, sacrifices, self-expression and nationhood.
A Place Called Galet | Hong Kong | 2020 | 08’
Director: Arjarn Jin
Writer: Tseser
Producer: Heather Kong
Cast: Allen Yuan
Synopsis: Galet is a theatrical vision of an antique shop galvanising interest from young generations and people from all walks of life. The magic comes from owner and dreamcatcher Allen Yuan, a professional dancer and choreographer whose exploration of human nature and stories bleed over into his inspired vision of what an antique shop can be. For Yuan, antiques show us a slower world full of detail, wonder and human history — if only we see them in the right light. Galet, the French word for “pebble” carries special significance for Yuan. Like the perfectly round natural pebbles shaped over lengths of time, Yuan believes there are no shortcuts to great things. Our story follows Yuan in his daily life and interactions, delving into his journey as a dancer and antique entrepreneur as he leads us to where they both converge in an immersive experience.
Saucy Toinha | Brazil | 2020 |13’
Director: Sérgio Bloch
Writer: Sérgio Bloch
Producers: Leda Stopazolli and Sérgio Bloch
Synopsis: That Toinha is not just any Bahian, this is evident to those who see her, for the first time, behind her board. What many do not even suspect is that she is the one who makes the palm oil that she uses to prepare her delicacy. She climbs the coconut tree, drops the bunch, cooks the coconuts, macerates in the pestle, and when everything turns into a paste, she separates the liquid from the bagasse in a long manual process. Then it boils the palm again and only then does the oil appear, like a blade, over the water. At night she will serve the dumplings generously stuffed and packed in a banana leaf, which Toinha takes off her feet and prepares over the fire. The business takes a lot of work, but who cares? – “My acarajé has to be perfect. That’s why I do the male and female frills ”- she says proudly.
Lines of Exile | United States | 2021 | 08’
Director: Eric Patrick
Writer: Hamid Naficy
Producer: Eric Patrick
Synopsis: Hamid Naficy’s fifty years of drawings of prominent scholars, philosophers, and theorists form a unique index of the evolution of cultural theory over the last decades. In this portrait, Naficy intimately recounts this evolution through his drawings.
Polymers | Russian Federation | 2020 | 22’
Director: Nikas Kotich
Synopsis: Today, it is difficult to imagine any area of human activity, where we are not surrounded by products based on polymer materials. Try to look around. Of the five objects around you four are polymeric. Polymers are everywhere. We live in the age of polymers. It’s a natural response to the society’s needs. There is a growing demand for polymer materials everywhere. Their presence in our lives is much stronger than we could ever imagine. So what are polymers? The film explains how polymers are made and how they affect our lives, being an integral component of many surrounding objects, which people interact with every day. However, the film also aims to draw the attention to environmental challenges associated with the plastic usage.
Blindspot | United States | 2020 | 15’
Director: Marquise Mays
Producers: Charles Fatunbi, Breanna Taylor, Gregory Thomas
Synopsis: A brief glimpse through the life of Granny Lue. A woman of faith, fearlessness and fierce energy. She never allowed her disability to determine her ability to live.
Skeleton School | United States | 2020 | 33’
Director: Lauren Paterson
Writer: Lauren Paterson
Producer: Lauren Paterson
Synopsis: Teachers and staff anxiously await a vital school levy in a divided rural community.
Writing on the Wall | United States | 2020 | 07’
Director: Miya Matsumoto Lee
Producer: Miya Matsumoto Lee
Experimental Video Short – Official Selection – September 2020
As It Ends, It Begins | United States | 2020 | 10’
Director: Or Meir Schraiber
Writer: Or Meir Schraiber
Producers: Or Meir Schraiber, Treyden Chiaravalotti, Morgaine DeLeonardis
Cast: Treyden Chiaravalotti, Mouna Soualem
Wild Boars | Romania | 2020 | 08’
Director: Manuel Cojocaru
Writer: Manuel Cojocaru
Producer: Manuel Cojocaru
Cast: Manuel Cojocaru
Synopsis: A gardener kills a man, then has to deal with his own mortality.
Virus | Brazil | 2020 | 09’
Directors: Larissa Mauro, Joy Ballard
Writer: Larissa Mauro
Producers: Catarina Accioly, Larissa Mauro
Cast: Larissa Mauro
Synopsis: 2020, Winter. Pandemic. Isolation. Biographical facts penned on paper. Ancestry, memory, emptiness, prejudice, betrayal. Virus is an audiovisual poetic experience. Revolution. A healing cry for myself and many others alike. I must speak.
Dada Marriage | Ukraine | 2020 | 15’
Director: Anastasia Mamontenko
Writer: Anastasia Mamontenko
Producer: Daria Drykina
Cast: Oleksandr Yatsentyuk , Margarita Burkovska
Synopsis: Something obscure is happening to a young married couple in their isolated luxurious apartment- their daily routine turns to an abrupt absurdist game of lost connection.
Second Seed | United States | 2019 | 16’
Directors: Baye & Asa
Producers: Jack Grabow, Evan Jonigkeit, Zosia Mamet
Cast: AJ Tasley Parr, Marla Phelan, Myssi Robinson, Amadi Baye Washington, Sam Asa Pratt
Synopsis: Second Seed is a dance horror film responding to D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. Griffith’s film is a veneration of the KKK, painting the Klan as saviors of a white race in danger as American culture and politics begin to shift after the American Civil War. It highlights a fundamental White supremacist delusion that continues to plague this country: that White people are inherently superior, and that they are politically and culturally under attack. Second Seed grapples with this White delusion.
Rewind, Repeat | Romania | 2020 | 05’
Director: Anna Boronea
Writer: Anna Boronea
Producer: Anna Boronea
Cast: A man’s entire life unfolding in front of your eyes, as witnessed by the radio in his living room.
Fashion Short – Official Selection – September 2020
RISQUES | France | 2020 | 05’
Director: Thomas GERARD
Cast: Rouguy FAYE
Synopsis: Human experience spiral down when panic strikes. In this short essay, we pictured the turmoil that goes with the experience of the downward spiral. Starting from a bad place, fleeing it and eventually being caught up again, you are unable to escape your own prison and it is wearing you down. There is some twisted sense of being your own enemy and no matter what you do to tackle it, fear condemns you before the crisis.
Fenice – Momoni SS21 | Italy | 2020 | 07’
Director: Giulia Achenza
Cast: Maria Vittoria Franzini
Synopsis: Directed by Giulia Achenza, Fenice – Momoni SS21 is an ode to the cyclical, regenerative nature of life. Employing dance to unfold its narrative, the fashion film celebrates the world of symbolism through a series of sensual, yet ethereal movements and gestures. A woman awakens from her sleep enlightened, taking on a new persona. She’s now at one with the earth that surrounds her, looking to approach her new found relationship with nature with love and respect. As part of her new life, she connects with the spirit of our times and discovers that beauty, health, human contact and spirituality are the new luxury in her life – the true path to feeling content and at peace. She embarks on a journey into herself, leading her to connect with her surroundings, feeling balanced and whole despite the constant state of flux of the world around us.
Mirror Mirror on the wall | Italy | 2020 | 04’
Director: Qianlin Dou
Writer: Qainlin Dou
Producer: Qianlin Dou
Synopsis: IL giudizio Universale (by Michelangelo Buonarroti) describes that after the chaos of human society, God will come again for trial, and all the living and the dead will get the deserved results, and the three realms of God, man and hell will return to the original perfect order after the trial. The grand narrative and artistic techniques of this painting is like a huge mirror, reflecting the vicissitudes of human beings. In the picture, God looks like us, and the devil is no different from us. Light and darkness can be chosen, and man struggles and wanders in the gray area of the two worlds.In this anxious society, people can choose to be demon or god.
Mini Video Short – Official Selection – September 2020
Dognap – An Action Short | Malaysia | 2016 | 03’
Director: Aiman Samat
Writer: Aiman Samat
Producer: Aiman Samat
Cast: Rachel Lynn David, Ho Bao Er, Ho Xiang Ning
Synopsis: A special dog has been dognapped, and it is up to a rescue agent to save him.
Post Scriptum | Italy | 2020 | 03’
Director: Leonardo Tomasi
Writer: Leonardo Tomasi
Cast: Rita Anedda
Synopsis: An old lady fills up the time of the wait amid cooking, zapping, cockroaches, post-it, and a suicide. Un’ anziana donna riempie il tempo dell’ attesa fra cucina, zapping, blatte, post-it e un suicidio. Une vieille femme remplit le temps de l’attente entre la cuisine, le zapping, les cafards, les post-it et un suicide.
Heroes | Switzerland | 2020 | 02’
Directors: Riu Lohri, Sebastian Stache
Writers: Riu Lohri, Sebastian Stache
Producers: Riu Lohri, Sebastian Stache
Synopsis: Having heroes for inspiration and motivation is good, emancipating yourself from them and becoming your own hero is even better…
Movie Time | Canada | 2020 | 02’
Director: Alejandro Forero
Writer: Alejandro Forero
Producer: Alejandro Forero
A real man | France | 2019 | 03’
Director: Aurélien Mathieu
Writers: Aurélien Mathieu, Julie Bonnemoy
Producer: Charles Rambeau
Synopsis: A father share with his son his vision of masculinity during a rugby training.
Music Short Video – Official Selection – September 2020
Don Patricio 22:23 | Spain | 2019 | 04’
Director: La Favorita
Writers: JUANMA KUCE & CHRISTOPHER CARTAGENA & FRANCISCO INSUA
Producers: PACO DIAVLO & LOBO KANE
Synopsis: A fast paced and assured crime melodrama that uses some impressive camera work to tell a serious, though somewhat hilarious tale of death and betrayal. The retro homages are fun on their own, but the performances and finale show very assured direction and a fantastic filmmaking team at the helm.
Lady Helen’s garden | Ecuador | 2019 | 06’
Director: Carina López
Writer: Julio Baldeón
Producer: Pável Sánchez
Cast: Julia Silva, Luís Mateo Heredia, André Dalgo
Synopsis: Fernando is a teenager on the eve of turning 18 years old. He maintains a dysfunctional relationship with his mother Helena, more so now that he has developed a platonic crush on his best friend David; but will that love be reciprocal?
Rollcall BLACKPITCH | Germany | 2020 | 06’
Directors: Karolina Wyrwal, Giacomo Corvaia
Producer: Karolina Wyrwal
Synopsis: The rollcall video explores this notion of clarity, the muddy waters of decision making and opinion. Choices that appear profoundly black or white are never such. Nothing is ‘decided’. Nothing is ever 100% clear, rather some ‘mixing’ always occurs. And in these grey areas, the magic happens. This is where we learn, where we excel, where we grow and where we are the most under pressure. It is also where we meet and where we socialise, have discourse and find out more about ourselves, everyone and everything else.
SEXUAL | Canada | 2020 | 09’
Director: Yumi Sonoda
Producers: VAYA, Yumi Sonoda
Cast: VAYA
Synopsis: This movie is a strange link between human being and animal instinct through the woman. SEXUAL: A SCREAM UNDER YOUR BONES Loud, intense, talent and avant-garde, SEXUAL through images and sound is an explosive claw on Earth: a deep call from instincts. When Yumi Sonoda met VAYA the result is fascinating and has an elegant way of disturbing visual and music laws. Enter into Higher voltages, a real human metamorphosis to feel.
House of Trumps | Switzerland | 2020 | 03’
Directors: Marc Bachmann, Simon Steuri
Cast: Isabelle Ritter
Synopsis: Every card is an ace, every card is a trump. An American folk tale performed by a Swiss jazz group, the House of Trumps rises to unexpected heights before it falls in place.
In Flight Therapy (pt. 1) | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Casey Shaw
Writer: Devin “Cypher” Dennis
Cast: Devin “Cypher” Dennis
Synopsis: This video is the keystone of a double-diptych block of (4) music videos by the artist Devin Dennis, known as “Jesus Cyph”, “Cypher”, or “Cyph”. It was filmed between two performances, one music (Radio City Music Hall) and one art (Bergdorf Goodman), on two single days, one year apart in January of 2018 and 2019 in New York City, NY. Cyph has been featured in London auctioneer AucArt’s latest showcase “g.r.i.d.l.o.c.k.”, and in 2019, he had showings at Pulse Art Fair in Miami, FL (part of Art Basel Miami), and at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, NY. He was taught art by his grandmother, Rosemary, and was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. The videos we have created are attempts at conjoining Cyph’s artwork and songwriting in a fusion and collage similar to the abstract figurations that are so popular in his work. His artwork is available to view at www.dcdarchive.com. The other videos in this series are featured on the vimeo page attached to this link. The videos are “In Flight Therapy (pt. 1)”, “Gravel”, and “Chris Paul”. Filmed between 2017 and 2019 in New York, Portland (Maine), and New Orleans (Louisiana); respectively.
In Flight Therapy (pt. 2) United States | 2019 | 02’
Director: Casey Shaw
Cast: Devin “Cyph” Dennis
Synopsis: This video is the keystone of a double-diptych block of (4) music videos by the artist Devin Dennis, known as “Jesus Cyph”, “Cypher”, or “Cyph”. It was filmed between two performances, one music (Radio City Music Hall) and one art (Bergdorf Goodman), on two single days, one year apart in January of 2018 and 2019 in New York City, NY. Cyph has been featured in London auctioneer AucArt’s latest showcase “g.r.i.d.l.o.c.k.”, and in 2019, he had showings at Pulse Art Fair in Miami, FL (part of Art Basel Miami), and at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, NY. He was taught art by his grandmother, Rosemary, and was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. The videos we have created are attempts at conjoining Cyph’s artwork and songwriting in a fusion and collage similar to the abstract figurations that are so popular in his work. His artwork is available to view at www.dcdarchive.com. The other videos in this series are featured on the vimeo page attached to this link. The videos are “In Flight Therapy (pt. 1)”, “Gravel”, and “Chris Paul”. Filmed between 2017 and 2019 in New York, Portland (Maine), and New Orleans (Louisiana); respectively.
Hanen “Breathe” | Poland | 2020 | 04’
Director: Wit Dziki
Writer: Wit Dziki
Producer: Wit Dziki
Cast: Phill Hannen
Survive Growing Up | Ecuador | 2019 | 06’
Director: Edwin Arellano
Producer: Clikare Studios
Cast: Harold Arellano
Synopsis: The Crusade of a child, who in his process of growth and survival, walks through the paths of life, being embraced by a harsh and hostile environment, haunted evil entities (freaks), who will try to stop his journey towards an uncertain future.
Mobile Short – Official Selection – September 2020
Cuckoo Chick | United Kingdom | 2020 | 09’
Director: Precious Wura Alabi
Cast: Precious Wura Alabi, Eniola Sunmon
Synopsis: A Cuckoo chick is a species of bird raised primarily by an oblivious host after ‘strategic’ abandonment by its own parent. An experimental, narrative short. Two phones ring. No one answers. As her mum flies away from the continent for good, Genesis struggles to maintain her facade of strength.
Bellydance Vogue | Lebanon | 2020 | 05’
Director: Hadi Moussally
Producer: h7o7
Cast: Hadi Moussally
Synopsis: “My birthday was on the 3rd of April 2020, and for the first time, I celebrated it all by myself. But even if I was alone, I decided to celebrate it as if it’s the last one” The film was made during quarantine.
Dream driver | Russian Federation | 2019 | 09’
Director: Vera Lykova
Writers: Ekaterina Kakurina, Anastasia Frygina, Vera Lykova
Producers: Maxim Mussel, Boris Gouts
Cast: Vladislav Kuvitsyn, Ekaterina Shumakova, Vadim Kuvitsyn
Synopsis: The famous pickup-blogger tests his holographic image for the new (self-drive) taxi feature “Dream Driver”. A pretty girl assesses the test-drive and checks the quality of the hologram. During the drive, the blogger tries to seduce her, but the hologram intrudes on his plans.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – September 2020
Way back | Serbia| 2020 | 16’
Director: Aleksandar Adzic
Writer: Ana Adzic
Producer: Ana Adzic
Cast: Mira Furlan, Jovana Stojiljkovic, Marija Bergman
Synopsis: Dunja and Jasna are traveling with their mother Jovana to visit their father who lives alone in the cottage. DUNJA and JASNA are convinced that he had abandoned their mother because of the affair with another woman. By exchanging impressions of his action, they remember the past and reveal the expectations of a meeting. DUNJA treats this affair as a product of the father’s crisis and hopes the visit could reunite family, while JASNA has accepted the parent’s divorce as a final. Under the pressure, the mother reveals there was no adultery. She simply never loved their father.
Cliché – Reflection of a Silhouette | Denmark | 2020 | 11’
Director: Jesper Skoubølling
Writer: Jesper Skoubølling
Producer: Oliver Raben
Cast: Philypa Phoenix, Kenneth Wright
Synopsis: An aspiring black actress is reflecting over clichés about life, love, the film industry and her self worth in between. Does her reflections come to a conclusion by talking to her agent and when he delivers the final call for her casting audition? Or does it all seem like a neverending cliché?
Submarine Man | United Kingdom | 2020 | 17’
Director: Jake Morris
Writer: Rafe Jennings
Producers: Jake Morris, Rafe Jennings, Ben Breathwick
Cast: Tom Rusbridge, Steven Jeram
Synopsis: The Captain has been trapped at a depth of 600ft for 3 weeks now. He’s being stalked by an enemy sub and stocks of rum are severely low. But with rent day coming up, and the patience of his long-suffering First Mate running thin, will the Captain be able to keep his head above water? Submarine Man is a short film about mental health, friendship, and how a little fantasy can go a long way.
The Menu for Tomorrow | Japan | 2020 | 20’
Director: Woody – Kazuhiro Kiuchi
Writer: Woody – Kazuhiro Kiuchi
Producer: Woody – Kazuhiro Kiuchi
Cast: Yuuki Okumura, Tetsu Watanabe, Konomi Tsuboi
Synopsis: Reiwa Wedding Hall is one of the popular wedding halls in Tokyo. Their new chef, Saki, is always busy planning new menus. However, one day, something unusual happens. In the middle of the menu selection meeting, Ishimori working in sales department rushes in as he receives one request about the menu from his customers. The manager and the master chef get puzzled by the news. It brings back memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima. After a lot of thought, Saki decides what to serve in the wedding party. It’s been 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In Japan, we still don’t have any strict legal regulations on the measurement of radiation in food. As I see how governments are reacting to the COVID-19 situation, I wonder if there is any such thing as a perfect government in the world. However, we will continue making films as we believe that our films can change the future.
Nahjum | Mexico | 2020 | 17’
Directors: Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle
Writers: Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle, Erik Hirschhorn
Producers: Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle, Erik Hirschhorn, Diego Andoni Rubio
Cast: Alejandra Herrera, Estanislao Marin, Fernando Rojasbarr
Synopsis: A prehistoric family´s desperate search for a mythical source of life turns into tragedy when the egos and obsessions of their male members rise to the surface.
Mia | Italy | 2019 | 20’
Director: Matteo Mascotto
Writers: Lorenzo Paviano, Raffaele Picchio, Alessandro Testa
Producer: Fair Play srl
Cast: Murizio Lombardi, Tecla Insolia
Synopsis: A young girl, after a car accident during which she looses memory, lives locked in a room. Her father is trying to understand if she is able to find memories back, trough out a series of experiments. As soon as the daughter understands that she will probably never exit that room, she obliges her father to confess her what really happened.
PEACOCK | China | 2020 | 20’
Director: LI YUNRUI
Writer: LI YUNRUI
Producer: SIDO LV
Cast: YIHENG FAN, KANGMING WU, JUNJIE LI
Synopsis: This is a story about courage and love. Shaojie who wants to go to Shanghai to perform and his father who will get married again, are falling into a situation of incomprehension with each other, at the same time grandpa sees everything in his eyes.
Wireless | Australia | 2019 | 22’
Director: Criss Gidas
Writer: Criss Gidas
Producer: Criss Gidas
Cast: Annaliese McGuire, Giuseppe D’Allura, Katie Anderson, Michael Deed, Michael Joaquin, Rebecca Saunders-Smith
Synopsis: An Olympic figure skater’s career is at stake after she’s jailed for something she didn’t do.
Lemmings | Japan | 2020 | 30’
Director: Yosuke Sumi
Writer: Yosuke Sumi
Producer: Yosuke Sumi
Cast: Shinma Okazahki, Ayumi Takada, Riku Saito
Synopsis: Sho, who lives in Tokyo, wish hisself dead. One day, upon hearing the news that his sister Nagisa was in an accident, Sho rushes home to their hometown. Nagisa wants to be a dancer, but her leg is stuck because of the accident. However, Nagisa never gives up her dream and live each day to the fullest. Sho comes to face life in interaction with Nagisa.
EL ARRIMO | Colombia | 2020 | 13’
Director: JAIME ANDRÉS ROA ARIZA
Writer: Andrés Roa Ariza
Producers: ANA CASTAÑO NAVARRO, Andrés Roa Ariza
Cast: Juan José Ortiz , Andrés Quiroz, Jorge Puerto, Nelson Murillo , Laura Acosta , Luisa Salgado , Juan Acosta , Andrés Felipe Gallego , Juan Ramírez , Ulises Giraldo, Daniel Cano , William Murillo
Synopsis: A farm divided into two parts unleashes a fight to the death between Carlos and Humberto, two peasant brothers who dispute to have the greatest amount of land in the inheritance that their father left them. This dispute leads the two families to break off relations, although Luis Carlos and Beto, cousins, children of Carlos and Humberto continue to meet secretly, thus devising a way to save their relationship and, incidentally, the lives of their parents.
The ice cubes | Belgium | 2019 | 11’
Director: Sara Dufossé
Writer: Sara Dufossé
Producer: La Ravageuse Saga
Cast: Louise Manteau, Gaël Soudron
Synopsis: “The ice Cubes” tells the story of a past relationship and what’s left of it after a few months, shot in a single take.
What is a Woman? | Norway | 15’
Director: Marin Håskjold
Writer: Marin Håskjold
Producers: Marin Håskjold, Guro Bruusgaard, Magnus Mork , Mariken Halle, Katja Eyde Jacobsen
Cast: Mina Alette Høvik, Rebekka Jynge, Louise Löwenberg, Mariken Halle, Eva Johansson
Synopsis: A discussion occurs in a women’s locker room when someone asks a transgender woman to leave. One in the locker room means that woman is something that you are born as and not something you can become. The discussion escalates continuously as more people interfere. Everyone with different thoughts about what a woman is.
Times we live in | Mexico | 2020 | 17’
Director: Jonás N. Díaz
Writer: Jonás N. Díaz
Producers: Mariana Ochoa, Jonathan Núñez Díaz
Cast: José Fuchs, Javier Espinosa
Synopsis: Román is a caretaker in charge of caring an empty house during quarantine, until one night he is surprised by a visitor who tries to deal with the strange times we live in.
Rehak | United Kingdom | 2020 | 08’
Director: Pierre B
Writer: Pierre B
Producers: Pierre B, Gaelle Rikam B
Cast: Ruby Rae, Sarah-Stephanie , Victoria Ashford
Synopsis: A young girl in her age of innocence discovers Rehak, a magical drawing hidden behind her bedroom wall.
Us | Chile | 2020 | 15’
Director: Tomás Caniulao
Writer: Tomás Caniulao
Producer: Jorge Bustamante
Cast: Ashley Benjamin, Steevens Benjamin
Synopsis: Emile (25) and Joanne (16), two undocumented Haitian siblings living in Chile are threatened by deportation. Joanne, in search of one last hope, tries to contact her parents to save her brother.
OLIVE | France | 2020 | 13’
Director: JEAN- BAPTISTE DELANNOY
Writer: MAUD BETTINA-MARIE
Producer: KEYVAN KHOJANDI
Cast: MAUD BETTINA MARIE, KEYVAN KHOJANDI, AUDE GOGNY GOUBERT, ELODIE GODART, MARION CREUSVAUX
Synopsis: The hard journey of a woman after she went through a miscarriage…
THE LAST WALTZ | France | 2020 | 11’
Director: JEAN-BAPTISTE DELANNOY
Writer: MAUD BETTINA-MARIE
Producer: KEYVAN KHOJANDI
Cast: RUFUS, MAUD BETTINA-MARIE, ELEONORE COSTES, MARINA PASTOR, FABRICE POCHIC, ATHALIE HAUBOIS-EGELER, MARIE JOSE KHOJANDI
Crossroads | Hungary | 30’
Director: Chilton Flóra
Writer: Chilton Flóra
Producers: Tóth Bálint, Preszl Éva, Haakon Gundersen, Herner Dániel
Synopsis: After Deni returns home from prison, his hustler stepfather sends him to the countryside to lure a girl from a foster home. His task is to inveigle her to become a prostitute but as times goes by his feelings starts to rise towards her. Can this love be mutual and real? Deni is torn between his motivation to prove to his father and his sense of righteousness. Has the girl got a chance of not becoming a victim? Who are the victims in these situations? Just the girls? Or even the boys who are following the family’s norm?
CHARON | France | 2020 | 16’
Director: Yannick Karcher
Writer: Yannick Karcher
Producer: Marie Sonne-Jensen
Cast: Tchéky Karyo
Synopsis: Freshly retired, a man doesn’t know how to occupy his days. For fear of being killed by boredom, he gets involved in the crazy project of building a boat in the cellar of his suburban house.
Duke | Australia | 2019 | 12’
Director: Joseph Betros
Writer: Joseph Betros
Producer: Erin Cook
Cast: Jordan Chodziesner, Trent Baker
Synopsis: A young man returns home to complete a task at the request of his reticent father – living alone on the family farm with their old Blue Heeler, Duke. Wounds from the past surface upon his return and the relationship between father and son is tested. ‘Duke’ is adapted from the short story ‘Blood and Bone’ by author Lisa Jacobson (The Sunlit Zone).
Maternal Love | Iceland | 2019 | 15’
Director: Ari Allansson
Writer: Ari Allansson, Didar Farid
Producer: Ari Allansson
Cast: Didar Farid
Synopsis: A Kurdish woman has come to Iceland with her teenage daugther as an asylum seeker. The mother works as an interpreter for the Red Cross in Reykjavík and the daughter has been going to an icelandic school for the past year. The mother has a meeting with the immigration office and finds out that she and her daughter do not get a prolongated residential permit in Iceland and will be sent out of the country within the next 48 hours. In the main role is Didar Farid, who herselfis kurdhish, seeking residential permit to live in Iceland in her real life. The film is based on real events.
Foods For Coping | New Zealand | 2020 | 12’
Director: Zoey Zhao
Writers: Zoey Zhao, Malinna Liang
Producer: Zoey Zhao
Cast: Joan Liu, Jessie Yu, Amanda Billing
Synopsis: A Chinese single mother, Hui, grapples with the fallout of discovering her 16-year-old daughter’s pregnancy. Headstrong and brilliant, Yilin refuses to terminate her pregnancy and safeguard her future. As the two are caught in a violent impasse, Hui calls on help from the mother of Yilin’s boyfriend — an act that may jeopardise her relationship with her daughter forever.
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – September 2020
Presence | Italy | 2020| 05’
Director: Mehnoosh Nazari
Writer: Liubov Timofeeva
Producers: Liubov Timofeeva, Mehnoosh Nazari
Cast: Liubov Timofeeva
Synopsis: Filmed right before the lockdown, this video is an exploration of escapism, being mentally “locked-in”, and the idea of “growing up”: unfolding as we follow a girl getting ready in a small room in the morning. Through the characters inspired by pre-raphaelites and Renaissance art, we observe the metaphorical birth, fight, sacrifice, and death before she’s ready to go out in the world. Made by an Iranian visual artist and a Russian aspiring writer, filmed in an apartment in Milan, Italy. This is our first video work.
Junior | Canada | 2020 | 05’
Director: Abraham David
Writer: Abraham David
Producers: Abraham David, Jules Legal
Cast: Ali A. Kazmi, Jules Legal
Synopsis: The day before he leaves for grad school, Junior (Ali A. Kazmi) gets a call from his estranged father who asks him to visit him for the first time in years.
The Sign on the Cemetery Said: You Don’t Know What You Missed | Canada | 04’
Director: Sean guistini
Producer: Sean guistini
Synopsis: An original music composition accompanies edited excerpts from the Ivan Besse archival film collection evoking the everyday of people on the streets of Britton, South Dakota, 1938-39.
Quick Fix | Canada | 2020 | 04’
Director: Alexandra Lemay
Writer: Alexandra Lemay
Producers: Alexandra Lemay, Kacim Steets
Cast: Daniel Amerman, Vic Lamontagne
Synopsis: Quick Fix is a stop-motion/Live-action hybrid that explores the comedic parallels between our throwaway habits and serial dating. This bittersweet love affair follows a coffee cup
Writing on the Wall | United States | 2020 | 07’
Director: Miya Matsumoto Lee
Producer: Miya Matsumoto Lee
Synopsis: who becomes smitten by his drinker only to discover she may not be as loyal as he assumed.
Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – September 2020
Pandemic: Live Romania | 2020 | 30’
Director: Tiberiu Enache
Writer: Tiberiu Enache
Cast: Adrian Dima, Alexandru Cătănoiu, Tiberiu Enache
Synopsis: English: Pandemic: Live is a three-episode web mini-series that follows the lives of three actors based in Bucharest, Romania. During the global pandemic of 2020, the president of Romania declares a state of emergency and most of the countries industries is put on hold. As people are waiting to see how the situation develops, artists are starting to panic due to the dark future ahead, not knowing what it holds in store for them. Some of them start posting videos of themselves performing online, some try new branches of work such as studio recordings (voice-over material) and some choose to just wait it out. Each individual episode follows one of these three characters and shows a sneak-peak at how this crisis has affected them, individually. The plot of the mini-series takes place at the same time, but the perspective switches to a different protagonist in every episode. The world crisis is recounted by a different narrator, giving access to three characters, three different personalities, three different ways of reaction, that communicate with each other from episode to episode. The series is also a satire that revolves around the shady sides of artists that can’t wait to hate each others work. A short reflexion of ourselves in other peoples eyes. Or vice-versa.
The Night Cashier (Episode 1) | Germany | 2020 | 11’
Director: Dirk Rosenlöcher
Writer: Dirk Rosenlöcher
Producers: Dirk Rosenlöcher, Daniel Hacker
Cast: Naomi Abukha, Alexander Wipprecht
Synopsis: Nina prefers to work the nightshift in this small German gas station – usually quiet, more time to write down her thoughts. But on some days, anything can happen: a customer with a breakdown, a robbery gone wrong or a conversation with the death’s assistant.
Hit The Ground Running | Australia | 2020 | 29’
Director: Ben Bouvier-Farrell
Writer: Ben Bouvier-Farrell
Producers: Joe Murphy, Ben Bouvier-Farrell
Cast: Carlo Ritchie, Ruby Blinkhorn, Nazeem Hussain
Synopsis: Logline Two aspiring filmmakers discover their first jobs as runners are a long way from their red carpet dreams. Synopsis Take this image: The red carpet. Your name in bright lights. A-list talent praising your work behind the camera. Now take this image: Taking 34 coffee orders. Laminating parking signs. Putting the bins out. Mia and Judd pursued a career in Film/TV for the first image. The reality of their choice is that they must all start at the second image.
The Coroner – Season 1 | France | 2019 | 07’
Directors: Fabio Soares, Mike Zonnenberg
Writers: Fabio Soares, Mike Zonnenberg
Producers: Fabio Soares, Mike Zonnenberg
Cast: Stefan Godin
Synopsis: Webseries with a unique concept: The Coroner autopsies for you the most striking deaths of pop culture. From Tony Montana to Marion Crane (Psycho), discover the secrets from cult death scenes from cinema!
Short Comedy – Official Selection – September 2020
These Brownies | United States | 2020 | 11’
Director: Benjamin Shapiro
Writer: Benjamin Shapiro
Producer: Benjamin Shapiro
Cast: Muhammed Patel, Maya Armstrong, Henry Bock, Benjamin Shapiro
Synopsis: You know when a dessert is dangerously tasty? Like, “get these away from me” kind of tasty? Maybe it’s a plate of cookies, perhaps a bag of candy. Either way, you’re powerless. But what if someone stood up to these dangerous treats? What if one brave boy stood up to…These Brownies?
BRIDGE | Chile | 2020 | 05’
Director: G.G. Puentes
Writer: G.G. Puentes
Producer: Nicolás Ariztía
Cast: Cristóbal Tapia Montt, Pedro Fontaine, Dominga Valenzuela
Synopsis: Two friends are trying to escape and this old bridge seems to be the way out from the odd, yet familiar, feeling that they’ve been there before.
Brigitte Bardot | Turkey | 2020 | 15’
Director: Cagil Bocut
Writer: Cagil Bocut
Producer: Caglar Bocut
Cast: Derya Durmaz, Bogachan Yag
Synopsis: A “modern” Turkish family expects an exchange student from France who will accompany her 10-year-old daughter for the summer. Their shy daughter will not only practice French, but also have a friend finally. When this “expected visitor” came, Nergiz was frustrated that the boy’s name is Hafid. She does not find him “French” enough and everything will happen in real-time with a single 14 minutes long shot!
Do not ask for your way | France | 2019 | 15’
Director: Deborah Hassoun
Writer: Déborah Hassoun
Producer: Jonathan Hazan
Cast: Sophie DE FÜRST, Youssef HAJDI, Judith SIBONI, Béatrice DE STAËL
Synopsis: After 6 years of analysis, Inès, 31 years old, wishes to leave her analyst. When confronted with the magnitude of the task, she decides to get help… from another analyst.
Unofficial Selection | Denmark | 2020 | 13’
Director: Kristoffer Bjerg
Writer: Kristoffer Bjerg
Producer: Didde Maria Nikolajsen
Cast: Marc Marquard Rønn, Dia Jovanovic, Jonas Jacobsen, Frederik Ribergaard
Synopsis: A man wearing a dog mask shows up at a film festival uninvited.
Liquid Courage | United States | 2019 | 13’
Director: A Cody Osborne
Writer: Nick E Finn
Producer: Trent Lyle
Cast: Javael Moore, Nick E Finn, Azari Jaquan, Modesto ‘Flako’ Jimenez, Cristina Mistrot, Collin Cook
Synopsis: Liquid Courage is a dark comedy about the horrors of war reimagined through a super-soaker fight. This short film juxtaposes the tropes of military cinema against the contemporary conscious culture of 2019, subverting both into a world that is uniquely Liquid Courage. The story follows Lieutenant Grizzly and his platoon of rag-tag soldiers, as they embark on a mission, which almost certainly none of the will walk away from from – at least not in dry clothes. Along the way, personalities clash over topics of sexual orientation and drug use; soldiers are traumatized by water balloon fights, and none of them will ever be the same. Who will have enough liquid courage to survive the jungle make it back home?
EVERYBODY HAS PORN AT HOME | Spain | 2020 | 13’
Director: Alberto Rodríguez de la Fuente
Writer: Alberto Rodríguez de la Fuente
Producer: Rafael Álvarez
Cast: Rebeca Plaza, Alejandro Arestegui
Synopsis: Everyone has secrets that can’t be told.
Vinny Mancuso’s Rules for Good Business | United States | 2020-09-28 | 07’
Director: Spartan Daggenhurst
Writers: Spartan Daggenhurst, Tanner Zagarino
Producer: Enzo Marc
Cast: Tanner Zagarino, Spartan Daggenhurst
Synopsis: A young mafioso, Vinny Mancuso, butts heads on-set during with the Director of his first infomercial.
Short Drama – Official Selection – September 2020
THE PORTRAITIST | Russian Federation | 2020 | 21’
Director: Roman Kosov
Writer: Roman Kosov
Producer: Ekaterina Shashorina
Cast: Aleksey Artemov, Sergey Trifonov
Synopsis: A young guy lives in a landfill. During the day he and his friend look for scrap metal to sell, in the evening he draws and dreams of finding a good pair of shoes. One day he finds a dead body and a sketchbook next to it. He goes to the park and tries to draw trees. This is when a conman finds him and takes him to meet a woman who dreams of having an exquisite portrait of hers. The guy begins working on the portrait, gets used to his new comfortable life and stops recognising his friend from the past. The woman likes the portrait, she and the artist start to get close, which seriously annoys her butler, who poisons the guy and sends him back to the landfill completely blind
BALLERINA | Italy | 14’
Director: KRISTIAN GIANFREDA
Writers: KRISTIAN GIANFREDA, FILIPPO BRAMBILLA
Producer: COFFEE TIME FILM DI KRISTIAN GIANFREDA
Cast: AGNESE CLAISSE, CARLO MARIA ROSSI, CATERINA GRAMAGLIA, AUDREY PIFFER
Synopsis: This is the story of a young prostitute. At the beginning of our short film, she is in a desert suburb of a city. She is robbed and she was thrown out of the car. She is talking on her phone. The pimp are threatening her, he wants money, she must go to give him! The road is desolate. An orange scheduled bus is coming far away. She gets on a bus. It is an inner journey, and the bus represents her inner self. A child is sitting next to her. The naive child and her words hit the girl. She starts to think about her life on the street. The violence has stolen her future. She feels she is ugly. She cannot smile. The journey gets over, and the pimp is there to find her.
Not Now | Ukraine | 2020 | 15’
Director: Andrew Liulko
Writer: Andrew Liulko
Producers: Andrew Liulko, Denis Galushka
Synopsis: A young man is refusing to believe that he has cancer and is procrastinating till the very last moment to tell his girlfriend about the scary but obvious symptoms. Once he realizes that he has very little time left, he turns his hesitation into his strength. He proposes to his girlfriend, introduces his bride to his father, who is dying of cancer and decides that he must survive, he must live for the love of his life, and he decides to get the surgery! Now it’s up to doctors’ whether the love or cancer wins.
Ten, Thirteen, Twelve | United States | 2020 | 13’
Director: Daniel Bowhers
Writer: Daniel Bowhers
Producer: Nick Brandreth
Cast: Josh Olkowski , Lauren MacDonough, Dave Marum , Nick Brandreth
Synopsis: Supernatural forces loom large in the forests of upstate New York as Sarah, Harry and Tom struggle for survival. Ten, Thirteen, Twelve brings one woman’s darkest nightmares to reality in this mind bending psychological thriller.
Batyr | Kazakhstan | 2020 | 21’
Director: Batyr
Writers: Yelena Shtern, Laura Sapa, Yelena Lıssassına
Producer: Laura Sapa
Cast: Janel Sergazına, Kuandyk Kystykbaev, Chıngız Kapın Rauan Romanı
Synopsis: Dina’s son is seriously ill: he is running out of time. It is almost impossible to find such large sum of money in a short time for a lonely widow. Dina has to agree to the proposal of her boss, who offers to help Dina in exchange for sex. Only one night, but it will forever change Dina’s life. She will save her son, but she will forever lose herself as a woman.
Cruel World | Canada | 2020 | 17’
Director: Dylan Mask
Writer: Dylan Mask
Producer: Dylan Mask
Cast: Dylan Mask, James Neely, Christine Nguyen
Synopsis: As he drives down an old dirt road John has one thing on his mind: “Reunite with the woman he loves”. The journey is prolonged when his SUV runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Luckily a mysterious old man intervenes and points him in the right direction. He arrives at a campground in search of gas and is introduced to the fiery and sarcastic store clerk Taylor, who is less than impressed by his blatant rudeness. When two drunken customers arrive and start trouble John is forced by something beyond his control to intervene. It seems fate has different plans for John today.
Close your eyes and look at me | Italy | 2020 | 06’
Director: Andrea Castoldi
Writer: Andrea Castoldi
Producer: Valentina Tomasetto CF-FILM
Cast: Denise Tantucci, Massimo Curti
Synopsis: Giulia nella vita ha imparato a guardare il mondo tenendo gli occhi chiusi e a leggere le parole dalla parte della schiena, la parte dietro, quella che non si vede, quella che non si dice… Giulia learned to live with eyes closed, reading the words from the back. The unsaid, the part kept behind.
Foods For Coping | New Zealand | 2020 | 12’
Director: Zoey Zhao
Writers: Zoey Zhao, Malinna Liang
Producer: Zoey Zhao
Cast: Joan Liu, Jessie Yu, Amanda Billing
Synopsis: A Chinese single mother, Hui, grapples with the fallout of discovering her 16-year-old daughter’s pregnancy. Headstrong and brilliant, Yilin refuses to terminate her pregnancy and safeguard her future. As the two are caught in a violent impasse, Hui calls on help from the mother of Yilin’s boyfriend — an act that may jeopardise her relationship with her daughter forever.
Student Short – Official Selection – September 2020
Exposure | United States | 2020 | 08’
Director: Kyle Hartford
Writers: Ege Kizilarslan, Kyle Hartford
Producers: Kyle Hartford, Timothy Kandra
Cast: Kyle Hartford, Alessandra Hartford , Jonathan Hendrickson
Synopsis: A photographer must finish the last roll of 35mm photographic film left on Earth.
Road | Belarus | 2020 | 09’
Director: Kirill Khaletsky
Cast: Bogdan Hmelnitsky, Polina Artyhovskaya, Arseniy Bushmakin, Svetlana Gruzd
Synopsis: The most important thing in life is people and the relationship between them. This film is about that. It doesn’t matter when this story took place and where, only people are important and what everyone in the audience will discover for himself.
FLUFFY | United Kingdom | 2020 | 10’
Director: Tahkeishon Smith
Writer: Olivia J. Loader
Producer: Izzie Gough
Caast: Scott Bruce-Reid, Matthew Bearne
Synopsis: All Ben has ever hoped for is comfort and nurture. With his parents, Anna and John, too occupied with their failing marriage and dissatisfied life, Ben’s childhood has been lonely and from the neglect he created Fluffy – his monster best friend. Like a lot of children an imaginary friend is a source of companionship, and for Ben, Fluffy is his only friend and protection from the disturbances in the house. However, as his parent’s marriage cripples under the stress of their life, Ben’s mother finally decides to leave and with it the last chance of ever being a family. Ben and Fluffy are left alone in the house with the mournful and unpredictable John, and as the tension grows so does his alcoholism. One-night Ben dares to sneak some food from the kitchen and is caught by his Father. He blames Ben for his marriage falling apart and lunges towards him. Fluffy, instinctively appears and attacks John – killing him. The two, covered in blood and with only a school rucksack of belongings, escape into the night leaving the house and John’s corpse behind.
NOVEMBER | United States | 2019 | 09’
Director: Mae Mann
Writer: Mae Mann
Producers: Paula Castro, James Masino
Cast: Charlotte Van Kemmel, Christian I. Noble
Synopsis: Margot, a taciturn mortuary technician, is forced to acknowledge her own inner demons as she responds to a call involving two young children drown by their mother.
B.D.R.M | Canada | 2020 | 09’
Director: Dylan Bulmer
Writer: Dylan Bulmer
Producer: Anthony Bonilla- Lopez
Cast: Maria Norris, Chad Tailor, Brandon Ludwig
Synopsis: A clumsy “Thief” gets stuck inside during a break-in when the couple comes home early, the role play stops when the he says the safe word. The break-in fantasy is over.
Monsters Never Know | China | 2020 | 16’
Directors: Yang, Ming
Writers: Yang, Ming
Producers: Li, Shuai, Ju, Jiali
Cast: Yang, Ming, Narisu
Synopsis: Mongolians believe in Tengri. They think everything in the world has a spirit. Tengri is god and the spirit of god is hidden in nature to protect the tribe. Mongolians call people who don’t respect life and nature ‘monsters’. Monsters can also refer to frightened animals in Mongolian culture. Mongolians also believe that monsters are intrinsically good by nature. The evil behavior of monsters is not their original intention. Therefore, relatives send monsters to the temple for reincarnation of the spirit. The spirit of Tengri points out the way for monsters at critical moments. After the journey of reincarnation, the monsters finally get healed.
Break | Lithuania | 2020 | 05’
Director: Rokas Šydeikis
Writer: Rokas Šydeikis
Cast: Paulius Stankevičius
Synopsis: A young man fails to escape his fast paced reality.
Left one | Russian Federation | 2020 | 22’
Director: Egor Isaev
Writer: Egor Isaev
Producer: Anna Pyrova
Cast: Inna Suhoreckaya, Leonid Telezhinskiy, Pavel Karpov
Synopsis: Olga is a public school music teacher, whose orderly life takes a sharp turn after a call from an old acquaintance. A mutual friend has been badly wounded and needs help. To save his life, Olga is forced to go on a journey that will unearth her forgotten past.
Middle of Nowhere | Canada | 2020 | 16’
Director: Molly Shears
Writer: Molly Shears
Producers: Julien Cornwall, Molly Shears
Cast: Charlotte Salisbury, Noah Gibney, Patrick Speagle
Synopsis: After the sudden death of their older brother, Dezzy and Oscar move to Northern Canada to spend the summer with their chain-smoking grandma. When Oscar becomes preoccupied with trying to impress their overconfident cousin, Dezzy seeks refuge in a mysterious creature she sees in the woods.
Day and night and day and night | Russian Federation | 2020 | 17’
Director: Timofei Zubrov-Andreyev
Writer: Timofei Zubrov-Andreyev
Producer: Timofei Zubrov-Andreyev
Elong E’Nabe | Belgium | 2020 | 14’
Director: Niels Devlieghere
Writer: Niels Devlieghere
Cast: Angela Demba, Dirk Demba, Tina Demba, Roos Diabang, Rafael Demba
Synopsis: Elong E’nabe is the story of six-year-old Angela, a black girl with Senegalese roots, born in Belgium. We get to see how Angela, her brother Dirk and sister Tina grow up in a complex socio-political situation. The part of Belgium where they live in is known for it’s nationalist right wing supporters and the growing migration of African families to the region creates a lot of tension. It is not an easy context, but the film sketches an optimistic approach to this whole because we see it through the eyes of Angela. Unaware of the situation she has found herself in, she leads a carefree life while her mother watches over her. It shows what the power of a mother-daughter relationship can do.
Awakening | Bulgaria | 2020 | 24’
Director: Nikolay Urumov
Writer: Valentina Angelova
Producer: NATFA Krastyo Sarafov
Cast: Yana Titova, Svejen Maldenov, Victoria Koleva
Synopsis: The independent and successful Inga keeps hearing cryptic voices and dreaming of a strange woman. In order to decipher the message, she has to reevaluate her relationship with her mother, delve into her family’s past and make a decision about a carefree affair with a man who truly loves her. In doing so, she makes a significant discovery about her own life.
Amputated Asscheeks | Germany | 2020 | 29’
Director: Claudia Scheffel
Writer: Claudia Scheffel
Producer: Claudia Scheffel
Cast: Anh-Quoc Doan, Duc Hanh Hoang, Andy Tran, My Yen Ung
Synopsis: Grandpa Liem loses at poker. Mortima is a vampire. Long meets a dragon.
Yard Kings | United Kingdom | 2020 | 16’
Director: Vasco Alexandre
Writers: Vasco Alexandre, Billy King
Producer: Billy King
Cast: Elle Atkinson, David Price, Caroline Lazarus, Jermaine Ricketts
Synopsis: The film follows the story of Ellie, a young girl from a violent home. The 9-year-old seems to escape from her harsh reality by spending her days in the woods of a nearby scrapyard with her friend, Pete. There, the pair have built a new home for themselves. One night, after witnessing the horrifying abuse of her mother, Ellie decides to come back home and confront her stepfather.
Short Horror – Official Selection – September 2020
The Tell Tale Heart | United States | 2020 | 22’
Director: McClain Lindquist
Writer: Edgar Allen Poe (adaptation)
Producers: Herb Bangcock, McClain Lindquist
Cast: Sonny Grimsley, James Christian Morris, Micah Olsen, Teren Turner
Synopsis: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart” is considered the first Psychological Thrillers ever penned. He classic tale has been re-visioned in this gruesome, mind-bending, descent into madness.
Pigeons | United Kingdom | 2020 | 08’
Director: Tony O’Reilly
Writer: Tony O’Reilly
Producer: Tony O’Reilly
Synopsis: He lived his life without her, always thinking of her and dreamed of a way to tell her. The boy is now a man and he has found a way to speak.
Lipstick | United Kingdom | 2020 | 11’
Director: Kevin R McNally
Writer: Paul McNeily
Producer: Robin Berry
Cast: Robin Berry, Holly Joyce, Priscilla Olympio, Mitchell Lewis
Synopsis: “Lipstick” is a psychological horror film, love, death, grief, and the consequences when we are unable to let go of our loved ones.
Immersion | Switzerland | 2020 | 08’
Director: Anaëlle Morf
Writer: Anaëlle Morf
Producer: Anaëlle Morf
Cast: Candice Chauvin, Giusi Sillitti
Synopsis: A journalist investigates Europe’s most innovative Escape Game.
Father Time | United Kingdom | 2020 | 12’
Director: Thomas Pickering
Writer: James Pickering
Producers: James Pickering, Thomas Pickering
Cast: Roger Bingham, Alison Harris, Damian McNeily, Eleanor May Blackburn
Synopsis: When Anna and Tony visit Vincent – a mysterious man with the ability to tell people the day they’ll die – they set out to prove his prediction wrong.
The Phantom | Ukraine | 2020 | 06’
Director: Dmitriy Golumbevskyy
Writers: Dmitriy Golumbevskyy, Daria Bessonova
Producer: Anton Reznichenko
Cast: Vlada Marhitich
Synopsis: In a quarantined city at night, a girl is haunted by a ghost. What is it: her imagination or reality?
Pirouette | Australia | 2020 | 07’
Directors: Peter Howard, Glenn Delaney
Producers: Peter Howard, Glenn Delaney
Cast: Ani Priyo
Synopsis: Kate purchases a ballerina box at a garage sale, upon returning home she discovers the ballerina is missing from the box.
Trailer – Official Selection – September 2020
IN_NOMINE_PATRIS | France | 01’
Director: Delphine Seignon
Writer: Delphine Seignon, Joël Girod
Producer: Joël Girod
Cast: Simon Larvaron, Delphine Seignon, Louis Bujeau, Jordan Gailleton
Nature Crawls | United States | 2020 | 03’
Director: Vseant Nath
Writer: Vseant Nath, Liz Kue
Producer: Vseant Nath
Cast: Taryn Spires, Al Kue
Synopsis: A woman experiences something strange after getting up to use the restroom during the witching hour.
