Amateur Short – Official Selection – August 2023
Flower-gathering at night | Taiwan | 2022 | 15’
Director: Zihlun Jian
Producer: Zihlun Jian
Synopsys: With fragrance and commiserate. A healing poem about the companionship of all things in a family garden. A mother gathering and cooking with her son in daily life. The son imitates the mother’s kitchen everywhere. In every kitchen, there is a longing for distant places and a sense of regret.
Arcade | United States | 08’
Director: Erica Travia
Writer: Sabria Smith
Cast: Gabe Richardson, Brandon Menke, Mackenzie Shaye
Synopsis: Arcade is a gripping 2D animated short film that delves into the heavy theme of anxiety and panic experienced by a college student named Milo. The film follows Milo as he is relentlessly pursued by a manifestation of his anxiety known as Annie. Annie’s torment becomes so intense that Milo is unable to sleep, eat, or even use the bathroom. However, Milo eventually finds comfort in the arcade, only to discover that he can’t escape his fears so easily. Annie takes over the arcade and turns it into a psychedelic nightmare. Will Milo ever be able to break free from this madness?
Everythingness & Nothingness | India | 2023 | 05’
Director: Viraj Chheda
Writer: Viraj Chheda
Producer: Viraj Chheda
Cast: Sahira Oshidar, Parth Taco, Ankita Rathod, Hari Pilaka, Nikita Kaul, Prithvi Punjabi, Rae Mulla
Synopsis: “Everythingness & Nothingness” is a visually striking short shot on Kodak Super 8 film. It challenges the conventional notions of perfection and encourages viewers to embrace imperfection and individuality. Through its poetic dialogue and surreal music and visual scenes, the film explores existentialist themes and the interconnectedness of life. It urges viewers to adjust their perception , embrace asymmetry, and acknowledge the darker aspects of existence. The film highlights the ephemeral nature of identity and the interconnectedness of all things. It concludes with a sense of uncertainty, inviting viewers to question their truth and contemplate the absurdity and surreal nature of life.
Animation Short – Official Selection – August 2023
The Crow and the Fox | Lithuania | 2023 | 03’
Director: Edgaras Janušonis
Writer: Edgaras Janušonis, Justas Širinskas
Producer: Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė
Cast: Near the old mill, a lone crow steals the cheese, but the cunning fox’s shadow tricks her. Unforeseen events unfold as the stolen prize brings about their demise, for it holds a hidden poison.
Nubbinwood | United States | 2023 | 10’
Director: Tim Granberg
Writer: Tim Granberg
Producer: Tim Granberg
Cast: Ben Krueger
Synopsis: A beaver recounts his experiences as an actor following his dream to be in the movies.
Lepidoptera | United Kingdom | 2023 | 05’
Director: Elizabeth Fijalkowski
Synopsis: An eerie horror-esque tale about an old man’s consuming obsession with finding an elusive moth that haunts his memories and dreams.
& MORE | Hong Kong | 2022 | 04’
Director: Tsz-wing HO
Synopsis: & MORE draws from the architecture of the M+ museum of Hong Kong. Our film challenges the definition of a museum by looking at it as an object itself. Through a geometric play of shapes and forms in the M+ building, we explore what underpins our material world.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – August 2023
Roaring Whispers | United States | 2023 | 04’
Director: Quenne Eric Nonde
Producer: Quenne Eric Nonde
Cast: Xavier Alvarado
Synopsis: “Roaring Whispers” encapsulates the essence of the Xavier’s journey, highlighting his childhood fascination with art as a form of magic and his desire to emulate his father’s artistic talents. It also touches upon the artist’s growth and the challenges of expressing his inner childlike creativity in a world that demands maturity and restraint. Moreover, it touches the transformative power of art, inviting viewers to explore the artist’s realm of imagination and experience the enchantment woven into his creations.
The Walk | Germany | 2023 | 12’
Director: Jonny Stern
Producer: Adam Fried
Synopsis: The Walk is the story of a Jewish man stuck living in Germany to be with his only daughter. Everyday he is faced with reminders of the Holocaust as he walks his dog through the city which was known for antisemitism and was a beehive of Nazi activity during World War 2.
Soul of Storm | China | 2022 | 30’
Director: Dike Su
Writer: Dike Su
Producers: Dike Su, ChenTao Wang
Synopsis: Soul of Storm, a nature documentary that observe the intense weather and its consequences from a first-person perspective. The perspective of the whole film comes from the first viewpoint of the director as a Storm chaser. He follows a group of weather chaser to travel around China, chasing different storms and trying to understand the relationship between storms and human society. Ultimately, “Soul of Storm” will be our thoughts on “Heaven and Earth”, “climate change and people”.
Arming the Left | United States | 2023 | 24’
Director: Will Allen-DuPraw
Producer: Will Allen-DuPraw
Synopsis: Amid growing political tensions and rising incidents of violence between America’s far right and far left, groups like the Socialist Rifle Association have taken shape. These groups are carving out new spaces in American gun culture, aiming to serve communities – particularly BIPOC and queer/trans folx – that have not historically felt welcome in the traditionally right-dominated firearms community.
Experimental Short – Official Selection – August 2023
Soap | China | 2023 | 05’
Director: Dayang Zhang
Writer: Dayang Zhang
Producer: Yuyang Lei
Cast: Chuan Tian, Chong Wu
Synopsis: The magnificence of love is like soap, illusory yet fascinating, exuding a sweet fragrance and dazzling bubbles, but the soap is slowly consumed in every seemingly inadvertent friction, and as time goes by, it all becomes void. Love leaves no trace of its existence, and eventually disappears. This is a short film about a fragment of the life of Xiaoban (the heroine).
In Film We Lost | China | 2023 | 16’
Director: Yugao Zheng
Writer: Yugao Zheng
Producers: Fan Yang, Pangyu Chen
Cast: Chenyao Zhong, Zixin Zhou
Synopsis: In a dystopian future ruled by AI, a policewoman recepts the world’s long lost human sentiments through a female AI fugitive that she’s pursuing.
Moebius | China | 2023 | 07’
Director: Zexi Liu
Writers: Zexi Liu, Yujia Chen
Producer: Chaoding Yang
Cast: Yuanzhong Lv, Luxue Zhao
Synopsis: Innocence, desire, greed, pain… Driven by the initial innocence and desire, the blindly obedient crowd is antagonistic and unified. In the operation of life, I feel fear, oppression, blind obedience, hierarchy, repetition, control, assimilation, people gradually lose the heart, and who might that be? He is like an endless Mobius…
Colin Carvey’s Long Halloween | Canada | 12’
Director: Aaron Peacock
Writers: Aaron Peacock, Aidan Kennedy
Producer: Aidan Kennedy
Cast: Taylor Beatty, Chase Kloosterhof, Eli Kloosterhof, Adam Palkovits
Synopsis: When Colin Carvey (Taylor Beatty) is glued into his Halloween costume by a duo of Young Toughs (Chase & Eli Kloosterhof), his desperate search for help turns into a long night of mix-ups, murders, and mayhem! Colin Carvey’s Long Halloween is a darkly comic, silent film slasher, inspired by Chaplin, Keaton, Melies, and Bugs Bunny. It features ketchup blood, playdough guts and several Port Hope, On business owners maimed by a plastic sword.
Salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears | United Kingdom | 2023 | 14’
Director: Nastja Säde Rönkkö
Writer: Nastja Säde Rönkkö
Cast: Jessica Luostarinen, Emma James, Phoebe Russell
Synopsis: From the personification of a tear drop, a drop of Golden blood and a droplet of sweat, emerges a tragic tale of lost love and its chaotic emotional fallout. The HD-video (13:59) is driven by Nastja Säde Rönkkö’s poetic text: intimate verse with an ambiguity that delivers a metanarrative for lost and found identity, a scarred planet and our ever-changing world.
Those Who Kept the Light (A Baby Deer) | Finland | 2022 | 05’
Director: Nastja Säde Rönkkö
Writer: Nastja Säde Rönkkö
Producer: Lotte Juul Petersen
Cast: Nastja Säde Rönkkö
Synopsis: Those Who Kept the Light is a series of videos exploring our dependent relationship with the sea, in a context of queer and feminist maritime narratives. The narratives are told through the human and other-than-human love stories; the wind or the ocean are seen as entities with consciousness, emotions and a voice. Those Who Kept the Light investigates the importance of vulnerability, desire and memory through myths and open-ended narratives. Within the wider framework of climate emergency and the role of the fragile ecosystems of the ocean, the project explores the collective mindset of imagination and longing. Unfolding epic and barren Nordic landscapes, the narrator leads the viewer into spaces and places of solace, empowerment and emotion. Those Who Kept the Light is a 10-screen film installation with site-specific sculptures. The project is based on ten poetic scripts that Nastja Säde Rönkkö wrote while she was traveling in Denmark and Norway in 2020–2021. The work can be shown as an installation or as a single-screen version.
Everythingness & Nothingness | India | 2023 | 05’
Director: Viraj Chheda
Writer: Viraj Chheda
Producer: Viraj Chheda
Cast: Sahira Oshidar, Parth Taco, Ankita Rathod, Hari Pilaka, Nikita Kaul, Prithvi Punjabi, Rae Mulla
Synopsis: “Everythingness & Nothingness” is a visually striking short shot on Kodak Super 8 film. It challenges the conventional notions of perfection and encourages viewers to embrace imperfection and individuality. Through its poetic dialogue and surreal music and visual scenes, the film explores existentialist themes and the interconnectedness of life. It urges viewers to adjust their perception , embrace asymmetry, and acknowledge the darker aspects of existence. The film highlights the ephemeral nature of identity and the interconnectedness of all things. It concludes with a sense of uncertainty, inviting viewers to question their truth and contemplate the absurdity and surreal nature of life.
Mini Short – Official Selection – August 2023
Louise, 13 years old… | France | 2023 | 04’
Director: Lara Pugh
Writer: Lara Pugh
Producer: Lara Pugh
Cast: Maëlle Mietton, Juliette Peddevilla-Defaÿ
Synopsis: It’s Louise’s thirteenth Birthday, her mom gives her the smartphone she’s been waiting for. She’s delighted! She goes out to spend her first evening out with her friends, leaving her mother on her own in the flat…
GREEN EYES | United States | 2023 | 03’
Director: Joe Ramos
Writer: Joe Ramos
Producers: Austin Elliott, Ashlyn Elliott
Cast: Sandi Baker, David Horner, Josh Cates, Jenni Repschleger
NO BALL GAMES | United Kingdom | 2023 | 03’
Director: Sam Brewster
Writer: Sam Brewster
Producers: Lily Bowerkail, Faye Butler
Cast: Beth Moroney
Synopsis: Compassion casts you out. In this cyclical fever dream, a woman struggles to win over the crowd.
Sandbox | Canada | 2022 | 03’
Director: Riley Davis
Synopsis: Two kids play in the sandbox while they discuss an unexpected question.
The Yellow Kite | United States | 2023 | 02’
Director: Woody Yocum
Writer: Lynn Yocum Pickering
Producer: Woody Yocum
Cast: Klaus Ebert
Synopsis: Two friends explore a world of imagination with the aid of their Yellow Kite.
Lechtal Tourismus – Winter | Germany | 2023 | 03’
Director: Alexander Draheim
Producer: Alexander Draheim
Synopsis: A slow and quiet piece about the remote Region of “Lechtal” (Lech Valley) in Austria where the small things in life and nature are appreciated.
To Make Something Wonderful | United States | 2022 | 03’
Director: Todd Davis
Writers: Danielle Davis, Todd Davis
Producers: Danielle Davis, Todd Davis
Synopsis: A visually poetic manual that inspires everyone to create via the steps “gather, make, and wait”!
Drumoh | Mexico | 2021 |03’
Director: Armando López Castañeda
Writer: Armando López Castañeda
Producer: Armando López Castañeda
Synopsis: Drumohre is the language of the first that lived here. The more days go by, the less they speak it. Here you no longer see anyone who understands it.
Music Video – Official Selection – August 2023
Rodion Yudanov: Govori Gospode | Russian Federation | 2023 | 05’
Director: Alexander Perfilyev
Writers: Tatiana Treglazova, Rodion Yudanov, Alexander Perfilyev
Producer: Rodion Yudanov
Cast: Rodion Yudanov
Synopsis: The music video allegorically depicts one’s soul trying to escape from a never ending vicious circle of worldy everyday life and vanity in search of its salvation in God. A long and hard journey one has to commit in order to try and set oneself free from sin. Yet only Lord is the one to help and save one’s soul.
“Useless” | Hungary | 2023 | 05’
Cast: Emese Kovács, Gergő Lukács
Synopsis: This short video tells the story of a dancer, who after finishing one of her shows receives an upsetting phone call and decides to dance her troubles away. This one-shot music video was produced by a handful of people with great love and passion.
Malina Scar – Tough Bitch | Russian Federation | 2023 | 03’
Director: Maksim Semenov
Writers: Malina Scar Medvedkova, Maksim Semenov
Producer: Malina Scar Medvedkova
Cast: Malina Scar Medvedkova, Nikita Maltsev, Ivan Oranskiy, Nikita Hruschev, Leonid Leonidovich, Dmitriy, Vitaliy Krasnokutskiy, Raisa Ivanovna Grachyova
Synopsis: 90s Russia, slavstyle vampires. Hiding from despair and sullenness of criminal post-perestroika atmosphere, group of young vampires wastes their endless life partying at the babushka vampire’s apartment “khruschyovka”, and sipping only available vampiric booze – Bloodka. When it’s gone, their decide to rob “new russian” gangsters
Shrine Island | United States | 2023 | 06’
Director: Aya Yamasaki, Jason Brown
Synopsis: A traveler visits three island shrines dedicated to play at three stages in their life.
Pulse At The Centre Of Being | Hong Kong | 2021 | 05’
Director: Tsz-wing Ho
Producer: Tsz-wing Ho
Synopsis: It is a 2D experimental animation which is accompanied by the music, “Pulse At The Centre Of Being” composed by Max Cooper. Beautiful things happened inside a human through different combinations of flowers, organs and body parts.
Moonjockey | United Kingdom | 2023 | 05’
Directors: Jamie Francis Windless, Ananda Jayne Howard
Writer: Jamie Francis Windless
Producer: Christopher Welch
Cast: Roszika Phoebe Howard, Nathan Aaron Dalleywater
Synopsis: An intriguing love affair of proselytizing, anxious, paranoid state of minds, Set within a sugar coated dystopian realm. What could possibly go wrong?
Narrative Short – Official Selection – August 2023
Prayer For The Sleeping Child | Dominican Republic | 2019 | 11’
Director: Leo Pichardo
Writer: Leo Pichardo
Producers: Jeremy Garcia, Katherine Diaz, Leo Pichardo
Cast: Luis López, Andrea del Rey, Kaitlin Bruno
Synopsis: A man’s journey as he reconciles with the memory of his lost lover.
Zof | Croatia | 2022 | 16’
Director: Rino Barbir
Writer: Rino Barbir
Producer: Ivan Perić, Tonći Gaćina
Cast: Leo Mirković Zof, Nenad Petrović, Jelena Živković
Synopsis: Zof’s pathological jealousy leads him to irrational actions and psychotic states. After his girlfriend leaves him, Zof feels closest to his female Stafford dog Lota with whom he spends most of his time. His relationship with the dog reflects his behaviour towards people close to him.
Heap | Canada | 2022 | 13’
Director: Kyle Marchen
Writer: Ben O’Neil
Producer: Van Wickiam
Cast: Louisa Zhu, Scott McCulloch
Synopsis: A dark comedy thriller about a woman forced to lead a sinister double life after discovering a “utopian” society in the building next door.
L’Eroe degli Antieroi | Italy | 2023 | 16’
Director: Andrea Di Salvatore
Writer: Andrea Di Salvatore
Producer: Kono Films
Cast: Antonio Anzilotti De Nitto, Gino Cesaria, Sophia Giacoia, Giampiera Dimonte
Synopsis: A fight between father and son turns into an unforgettable evening for both of them.
Lonely Island | United States | 2023 | 05’
Director: Kristie Kish
Synopsis: Lonely Island is a mixed-media short film about a starving man washed ashore on a mysterious island where he befriends a crab who helps him survive. A nightmarish fever–dream narrative taking place within a collage jungle and painted sea, Lonely Island is a tale that reflects humanity and its relationship to the non-human world.
Sun | Viet Nam | 2023 | 15’
Director: Yumei Zhang
Writer: Yumei Zhang
Producer: Yumei Zhang
Cast: Ximan Ma
Synopsis: A girl, pushed into an arranged marriage for happiness by her parents, unexpectedly meets a gay man in a similar situation. When she discovers her father’s secret, her perception of happiness comes under scrutiny.
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – August 2023
¿Where is Rafael? | Mexico | 2023 | 10’
Director: Mariana Azcárate
Writer: Mariana Azcárate
Producer: Mariana Azcárate
Cast: Kimberly Danae Ramos Martinez, Paola Ramos, Ana Lilia Nucamendi
Synopsis: Esmeralda is a seven-year-old girl living in a small town in Chiapas, Mexico. One day, she decides to run away to find her father, not knowing that this search will change her destiny forever.
RUNNING WATER | 2023 | 19’
Director: Joshua Mueller
Writer: Joshua Mueller
Cast: Eva Grund, Harald Etheber
Synopsis: Linda finds herself sitting in a strange room together with a man she doesn´t know. she must fight her way out of there before they come to get her.
Everythingness & Nothingness | India | 2023 | 05’
Director: Viraj Chheda
Writer: Viraj Chheda
Producer: Viraj Chheda
Cast: Sahira Oshidar, Parth Taco, Ankita Rathod, Hari Pilaka, Nikita Kaul, Prithvi Punjabi, Rae Mulla
Synopsis: “Everythingness & Nothingness” is a visually striking short shot on Kodak Super 8 film. It challenges the conventional notions of perfection and encourages viewers to embrace imperfection and individuality. Through its poetic dialogue and surreal music and visual scenes, the film explores existentialist themes and the interconnectedness of life. It urges viewers to adjust their perception , embrace asymmetry, and acknowledge the darker aspects of existence. The film highlights the ephemeral nature of identity and the interconnectedness of all things. It concludes with a sense of uncertainty, inviting viewers to question their truth and contemplate the absurdity and surreal nature of life.
Arming the Left | United States | 2023 | 24’
Director: Will Allen-DuPraw
Producer: Will Allen-DuPraw
Synopsis: Amid growing political tensions and rising incidents of violence between America’s far right and far left, groups like the Socialist Rifle Association have taken shape. These groups are carving out new spaces in American gun culture, aiming to serve communities – particularly BIPOC and queer/trans folx – that have not historically felt welcome in the traditionally right-dominated firearms community.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – August 2023
So What Did We Learn Today, Georgina? | United Kingdom | 2022 | 06’
Director: Franco Volpi
Writer: Franco Volpi
Producer: Juleyka Lantigua
Cast: Claire Winsper, Indiana Ashworth
Synopsis: Georgina, a curious and energetic 10-year-old, has a lot to say about her day at school while her mum is busy preparing supper. But something Georgina overheard today is on her mind; a word she doesn’t know. What seemed like another normal day, turns into an unexpected sex education talk.
Russian revolution | Czech Republic | 2023 | 06’
Director: Ladislav Petrecky
Writer: Ladislav Petrecky
Producer: Ladislav Petrecky
Cast: Ladislav Petrecky
Synopsis: As Ivan tries to shave himself he encounters some rather funny situations.
Flash Drive | Russian Federation | 2023 | 13’
Writers: Andrey Serov, Anton Mischenko, Alexandr Potehin
Producer: Anton Mischenko
Cast: Eugeniy Bandurin, Roman Lide, Oleg Soloduhin, Alexey Bardash
Synopsis: Three gangsters come to a man to take a flash drive with a lot of crypto. Pretty deep criminal comedy.
Short Drama – Official Selection – August 2023
30.03 (30th of March) | Romania | 2023 | 21’
Director: Ruxandra Bratfalean-Igna
Writer: Ruxandra Bratfalean-Igna
Producers: Ruxandra Bratfalean-Igna, Timeea Tantau
Cast: Eduard Crucianu, Sara Pongrac, Georgiana Cristurean, Bogdan Salceanu
Synopsis: A memory-like representation of events leading up to the death of a young man, alternating with the coping process of his friends.
Have a nice Apocalypse! | Hungary | 2023 | 27’
Director: Dávid Géczy
Writer: István Nyíri Kovács
Producers: János Wiedermann, Edvárd Gyarmati, Margit Verébné Fuhrman
Cast: Andor Lukáts
Synopsis: Old man Márton lives in a charming village in the hills, but he doesn’t get along well with his fellow villagers. After an accident in the nearby power-plant, he is left on his own in the village, and has to adapt to this new situation. When the villagers return, he may has changed and ready to connect, but are the others accept him?
The Playground | 06’
Director: Arnaud MIZZON
Writer: Arnaud MIZZON
Producers: Arnaud MIZZON, Patrice REVAUX
Cast: Ana GIRARDOT, Meryl MOUREY, Arnaud MIZZON, Mila VILLALBA
Synopsis: A couple of young parents heading to a children’s playground, the man quickly gets a phone call and gets angry.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – August 2023
Primacy | Spain | 2022 | 20’
Director: Jos Man
Writer: Javier J Valencia
Producers: Jos Man, Cesar Rodriguez, Robert Ors, Carles Iturbe
Cast: David Chevers, Molly Malcolm
Synopsis: Robert Preston and Julia Desmond struggle against Arion’s logic, the Artificial Intelligence in charge of the most advance military computer system, developed to help them achieve their targets following the most efficient way.
COR | Germany | 2022 | 21’
Director: Kilian Pohl
Writer: Kilian Pohl, Louis Legge, Sinan Özarslan
Producer: Sinan Özarslan, Alexander Ullmann
Cast: Julia Strowski, Lorenz Hideyoshi, Jasmin Hielscher, Sophie Weikert, Mai Suzuki, Koray Diler
Synopsis: 2091. In an efficiency driven mega city and a world built out of concrete and neon, “II / IKI” experiences a disruption that triggers the search for her identity.
Sport – Official Selection – August 2023
ASCENSION | Spain | 2023 | 05’
Directors: Antonio Urquijo de Simón, Jean Marc Joseph
Writers: Jean Marc Joseph, Iasa Monique, Killian Cooper
Producers: Antonio Urquijo de Simón, Ralf Obergfell
Cast: Jackob Obergfell
Synopsis: As the world as we know it ends, a brave kid embarks on a journey into the heart of the Great Forest, searching for answers. Ascension is a tale about facing the fear of change, learning to observe rather than see, to truly listen rather than hear. It’s about reconnecting with our roots. Are you ready to take the leap?
Cloro | Italy | 2021 | 14’
Director: Matteo Tarditi
Writers: Matteo Tarditi, Sofia Falchetto
Producers: Sofia Falchetto, Matteo Tarditi
Cast: Widly Nocenti, Gabriele Bocchio, Davide Laiacona
Synopsis: Michael, a boy unaware of his talent for swimming, is noticed by an ambitious coach who offers him to join his team. Michael will therefore have to choose whether to exit his comfort zone accepting the proposal or to keep his passion to himself.
Student Short – Official Selection – August 2023
ASHEN | Mexico | 2023 | 19’
Directors: Braulio Fierros, Amhed Hilerio
Writer: Diego Alamillo
Producers: Valeria López, Julieta Juárez
Cast: Diego Alamillo, Chucho Anza, Jessica Jáquez, Francisco De Luna
Synopsis: Elias, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, goes with his best friend Mario to watch a movie at the cinema. The night, at first uneventful and dull, ends up in a disturbing encounter with death, in which Elias will have to face the darkest side of his illness to discover if this final stage of his life brings the peace he so longs for.
Not too hard and not in the face | Estonia | 2023 | 16’
Director: Iris Peil
Writer: Polina Turov
Producer: Carmen Laurend
Cast: Jarmo Reha, Fatme Helge Leevald
Synopsis: The 30-year-old protagonist Slava wakes up in a strange place with missing memories from last night. He’s taken to a hospital where Slava learns that in this odd, even dystopian world he has awakened, all the men have gone extinct long ago, leaving him the only man left in the world. Experimental fever-dream-like voyage through the mind and emotional turmoil of a young man trying to make sense of life as well as accepting the end of his relationship.
FURRIE | France | 2022 | 09’
Director: Lucie Grannec
Cast: Frédéric Mocellin
Synopsis: A dolphin in free relationship with fifteen inflatable animals, a fox crazy in love with a cereal mascot, a band of animals adept at firearms… Different portraits, existing, of members of the Furry community, lovers and enthusiasts of anthropomorphic animals.
Rain on me | Wondering Fireworks | China | 2023 | 21’
Directors: Yuwei Wu, Junhao Yao
Writer: Yuwei Wu
Producer: Jinyuan Chen
Cast: Yuwei Wu
Synopsis: Wu Chao, who had not returned for many years, returned to his hometown where things were different from people. Looking at his unfamiliar parents and brother, Wu Chao fell into the interweaving of his desired beauty and the cold silence of reality. Sitting in front of his father’s hospital bed, the sound of fireworks at 12 o’clock gradually coincided with his father’s heartbeat
One-bedroom-One | Netherlands | 2023 | 17’
Director: Yuqing Cao
Writer: Yuqing Cao
Cast: Yuqing Cao, Yao Guo
Synopsis: Film “One-bedroom-One” is an experimental film combining narrative moving images with found footage. It unfolds from an oral experience: a young lady tried to find strangers to chat on a dating app during her breakup, in order to relieve her loneliness and emptiness. She stumbled upon a stranger with a strange nickname, who locked himself out of the flat, and was forced to waste the time in a nearby park. They all tried to enter this cyberspace to escape the emotional predicament of the moment.
Black Balloons | Israel | 2022 | 18’
Director: Gal Attia
Writer: Gal Attia
Producer: Amit Hay Ben Shlomo
Cast: Nir Strauss, Maya Gasner
Synopsis: A coincidental meeting takes place in a cemetery between a clown and a widow. A soulful, unique, communication develops that helps both cope with their loss.
THE FALOOP | Israel | 2023 | 19’
Director: Lotan Serur
Writers: Lotan Serur, Adar Levi
Producer: Lotan Serur
Cast: Alon Lior, Gil Zagory
Synopsis: Yonatan risks everything to fulfill his messianic vision, clashing with his older brother and confronting the harsh realities of crossing borders.
Kate is Sad | United Kingdom | 2023 | 18’
Director: Annie Foulkes
Writer: Annie Foulkes
Producer: Elliot Foster
Cast: Hannah Mullen, Sarah England, Ian Ray White
Synopsis: After a recent failed suicide attempt, 20-something Kate moves in with her estranged Aunt Trish; a woman she hasn’t seen since she was a child. The pair navigate each other’s flaws in the backdrop of a northern working-class town. They are, on the surface, inherently different. Kate is nihilistic and depressed. Trish is loud and volatile. We follow them over a fortnight they go from barely tolerating each other to having formed an unlikely bond.
Flying in the Grey | Macao | 2023 | 30’
Director: YIJIAN JIANG
Writers: YIJIAN JIANG, Thomas Lee, XU CHENG, JINGCHAO ZHOU, BOYAN ZHANG
Producer: Thomas Lee
Cast: Noki ieong, Carmen Kong, Johnson Lao
Synopsis: Born in Hong Kong, Yuen, a girl from a single-parent family, risks smuggling goods across the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, hoping to improve living conditions. But her dreams are shattered like sparrows scattering in the wind when she faces the harsh reality of the trade…
ISTINA (Truth) | Germany | 2022 | 29’
Writer: Tamara Denić
Producer: Christian Siée
Cast: NIKA ROZMAN, Milica Vuksanovic, Zeljko Marović, Elizabeta Djorevska, Jelena Bosanac, Idil Üner, Matthias Ludwig
Synopsis: A committed photo journalist is threatened in Serbia, whereupon she flees to Germany with her daughter. But then she also experiences increasing hostility and violence in her new home due to her work…
On the brink | Germany | 2022 | 27’
Director: Stephanie Olthoff
Writer: Jana Forkel
Producer: Lisa Carstensen
Cast: Noemi Krausz, Filip Schnack, Katharina Behrens
Synopsis: When Mara, a social worker at a drug consumption room, meets the heroin addict Ole, the boundaries between work and friendship between to blur. Now she is faced with the question of whether she can handle the job or if her friendship with Ole will get in the way.
Those Who Follow | Germany | 2022 | 30’
Director: Frederic Kau
Writers: Nick Buckenauer, Frederic Kau
Producer: Laurian Luis Schymura
Cast: Arton Bunjaku, Elsa Langnäse, Malek Hassan
Synopsis: Since joining the special forces, Mirko’s life has been torn between his family and his unit. When the suspicion suddenly arises that his girlfriend Rabea might have reported a radical right-wing chat message from the unit to Internal Affairs, Mirko is in danger of losing both.
Of kisses and capes | Germany | 2022 | 28’
Director: Elena Weiss
Writer: Sophie Dittmer
Producer: Paula Maria Martin-Karg
Cast: LEONARD GROBIEN, FLORENTINE SCHLECHT
Synopsis: Isi and Finn are planning their first time. A difficult endeavor, not only because of their physical disabilities but also because of their insecurities and lack of communication, which almost jeopardizes their relationship.
Linecrosser | Germany | 2022 | 28’
Director: Elena Pilar Nyffeler
Writer: Julia Dorit Mergel
Producer: Lea Liya Wang
Cast: Lisa Hofer, Sebastian Doppelbauer
Synopsis: Following the path of a deceased stranger, the young night watchwoman Zahra ends up finding a way to cope with her trauma.
How to Bury a Fish | Germany | 2022 | 25’
Director: Elsa van Damke
Writer: Alexander Schmid
Producer: Leonard Haselhuhn
Cast: OLIVIA PAPOLI-BARAWATI, EREN GÜVERCIN, KOSMAS SCHMIDT, LUISA BOCKSNICK, KARIME VAKILZADEH
Synopsis: Mia, Jan and T* want to build a pond in the garden of their psychiatric day clinic. But the plan threatens to fail when Luzie, who has behavioral problems, joins the group. The teenagers have to come together to complete their project.
Feelblock | Iceland | 2022 | 18’
Director: Halldór Frank Hafsteinsson
Writer: Halldór Frank Hafsteinsson
Producers: Halldór Frank Hafsteinsson, Sonja Sævarsdóttir, Sunna Björk Hákonardóttir
Cast: Kolka Heimisdóttir, Bragi Örn Ingólfsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Pálmi Gestsson, Maria Aracelli
Synopsis: A young woman lives in a world where everybody has a device called Feelblock on their person and blocks out any bad emotions making everybody always completely happy. One day the young woman loses her Feelblock device and discovered that it is out of stock for the next three weeks. Now she has to learn how it is to really feel for the first time in her life.
SANG | Czech Republic | 2022 |17’
Director: Ruqing Li
Writer: Ruqing Li
Producer: Nela Beislová
Cast: Xueni Yang, Lixin Xu
Synopsis: SANG is a coming-of-age drama about a Chinese mother and daughter, Sang, who lives in Prague. Sang’s life is strictly controlled by her mother. One day, in order to meet the boy she adores, Sang fights against her mother and runs away from home. What will happen to Sang and her mother in this evening?
Ditullio’s | United States | 2023 | 17’
Director: Joe Griffith
Writer: Joe Griffith
Producers: Maria Camila Andrade, Joe Griffith, Lewis Kunzler
Cast: Chris K Oram, Mercedes Murguia, Richard Hill, Caleb Christensen, Mimi Pendergrast, Paul Griffith
Synopsis: A typical night at Ditullio’s restaurant is interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
BENTOBOX | United States | 16’
Director: Olivia Owyeung
Writer: Vic Hirakawa-Lee
Producer: Vic Hirakawa-Lee
Cast: Karin Okada, Riley Hashimoto
Synopsis: Think Pixar’s Bao meets A24’s Minari. BENTOBOX is a short film written by Vic Hirakawa-Lee. It tells a story about Tim Benson, a ten-year old child of half Japanese-half American decent living with his immigrant mother, Okaasan, who prepares him lunches in the form of bentos. What she doesn’t know is that he’s teased and bullied for these lunches at school. Looking to run with the cool kids, Tim abandons his mother’s cooking and searches for American snacks to indulge on instead. With his father away overseas, Tim searches for his identity between his cultural Japanese household from the town he’s supposed to fit into, rejecting his mother entirely in the process.
Arming the Left | United States | 2023 | 24’
Director: Will Allen-DuPraw
Producer: Will Allen-DuPraw
Synopsis: Amid growing political tensions and rising incidents of violence between America’s far right and far left, groups like the Socialist Rifle Association have taken shape. These groups are carving out new spaces in American gun culture, aiming to serve communities – particularly BIPOC and queer/trans folx – that have not historically felt welcome in the traditionally right-dominated firearms community.
