Animation Short – Official Selection – December 2022
Children Left-behind | China | 2022 | 07’
Director: Guolun Feng
Writer: Guolun Feng
Producer: Shilin Zou
Synopsis: When her parents return for the Spring Festival, the daughter they left at home enjoys a brief moment of happiness and the rare arc of a fairy tale. Unwilling to watch them go back to the city again for work, she chases after them. The fairy tale characters she encounters on her journey weave into a fascinating story.
The Island of Us | Taiwan | 2022 | 20’
Director: Yu Yu
Writer: Thomas Tang
Synopsis: Seed who can’t get under the sun and the shadow who need light to exist is the meaning of life for each other. Seed made up her mind to find a way to be with the shadow, get on the exploring journey in this strange world. In their journey, they encounter lots of bizarre creatures. The creatures run their village with their way of showing love, amazing but brutal. Seed tries to understand them and help them get out from the cruel combine of each other, yet let them sink deeper and deeper.
Dancing In The Shadows | Netherlands | 2022 | 04’
Directors: Elliot Bloom, Alexandra Gordon-Gibson
Writer: Elliot Bloom
Producers: Alexandra Gordon-Gibson, Elliot Bloom
Synopsis: DANCING IN THE SHADOWS is the story of a lonesome and deflated figure aimlessly roams the metropolis at night. They gradually realise that their shadow has come to life, moving freely from and separate to its owner. Their shadow soon discovers new ways to move and dance. The protagonist is first apprehensive about their shadow’s new found rhythm of movement, but as they chase their shadow through the streets, they are soon mesmerised. Their shadow then encounters another shadow, together they coalesce and dance, transcending their figures into a new dimension, forming a unison through dance.
Robo99 | Republic of Korea | 2022 | 12’
Director: SUNG CHEOL KIM
Producer: SUNG CHEOL KIM
Synopsis: Robo99, who lost his heart while helping the red bird Dodo, travels to a heart factory where no one has been to get a heart and achieve his dream. The story is the first episode Robo99 experiences on a trip.
Doll Factory | Republic of Korea | 2022 | 04’
Director: Junyoung Park
Synopsis: Here is the doll factories. One day, some fatal errors occurred in the buildings, and a mutant came out. Her name is ‘Say’. Say had brought up by typical, mundane life such as school education, company, and religious life etc. She realized that the factory were controlling all of dolls including herself, and started to fighting for freedom. Thanks to Say, many dolls who had various egos were coming out and they could escape from the restricted system.
Botanica Exotica | Hungary | 13’
Director: Sofia Laszlovszky
Writers: Sofia Laszlovszky, Zsombor Benyovszky dr
Producer: Zsombor Benyovszky dr
Synopsis: A magnetic storm is approaching the solar system which effects all living things differently. On a remote planet our protagonist Dale, a plant-lover ex-scientist’s lonely life is in danger. With the slowly approaching storm tension grows bigger and erupts into massive aggression between the habitants which makes everybody dangerously insane. The well controlled aggression in the society blows up like a bomb. While the storm is getting closer and closer Dale suffers from chronic visions and nightmares which are becoming stronger with the storm. In his visions he sees a beautiful pink lady who feels familiar. And if this wasn’t enough his beloved plants are mysteriously disappearing leaving only strange messages behind. What is happening with him? Without him being conscious of it, is that his soulmate from a parallel universe trying to connect with him and save him? The lovely lady Alice is from a planet where space and time works differently. Here plants rule the world with the help of animals, and humans are only the third most intelligent creatures. On her planet plants are able to travel through space and time, and with this ability they are trying to help Alice to save Dale. Their Leaders the Twin Trees are sending messages and even a messenger for Dale hoping he understands that the portals are going to open soon. Dale eventually understands the meaning of the messages and finds himself traveling through a gate in time and space and seemingly arriving in Exotica, meeting Alice his soulmate. But we are switching back for Dale’s terrace once more. Here he is lying on his back headless. Is this the end of Dale or just a different beginning…
Safely Feel The Real World | China | 2022 | 03’
Director: Jody Xiong
Synopsis: Volvo / Durex “Safety feel the real world” Durex 001 collaborated with Volvo XC40 to co-release a short film. Colored in signature Durex 001 colors (black and gold), the animation follows a couple who wakeup from a VR simulated dream and escape to a safe reality on “001 Island.” In the visual narrative between the two brands, safety is a sexy and apparent benefit, one that allows us to approach intimacy and embrace reality. At the most critical moment in this film, In a very original way, a glass-like stomach and a metal esophagus are used to emphasize Volvo’s strong four-wheel drive, ground grip and other safety features. lyric： In a cold, cold world, I woke up alone Without you, my girl, without you I feel the sunlight as your warmth through my fingers I feel the wind as your whispers through my hair I know that you are here in my dream I know that you are safe in my heart So wake up, darling, just be with me Just fly with me When the day sleeps The nights will keep you all heart I hear a sign in the dark Don’t stay in the dream, Break through the fog When the roads to meet The love might start We can go to the new world Just you and me, girl Feel the golden hour glow Touch the sky we know Wake up, darling, just be in reality Wake up, darling, just be with me I keep the feeling of you and inside of me Keep us from falling apart (Nothing can erase this feeling between you and me) There’s a vision and fire in me The spark that makes the power grow The long straight road ahead oh yeah Fly with me, Fly I feel the sunlight as your warmth through my fingers I feel the wind as your whispers through my hair I know that you are here in my world I know that you are safe in my world In our new world， Feel the golden hour glow Touch the sky we know (Safely feel the new world)
The Last Star | France | 2022 | 04’
Director: ValOne
Writer: ValOne
Producer: ValOne
Synopsis: Year: 7437. A mysterious ancient civilization is destroying all of the stars in the sky. One of its agents is about to destroy the last one. A beautiful blue star.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – December 2022
The Forgotten Coast | United States | 2022 | 18’
Director: Mark Stephen Vargo
Writer: Mark Stephen Vargo
Producer: Mark Stephen Vargo
Synopsis: Mother Nature is a formidable defender of this pristine section of the gulf coast
Sentir el Son | United States | 2022 | 18’
Director: Karla Bernadette Duarte
Synopsis: Sentir el Son is a Latino American story of self-discovery. Franchesca, an Afro-Mexican, grew up in L.A. and was immersed in a Mexican culture that forced her into questioning her racial identity. This poetic documentary short explores through the feeling-body the meaning of ethnic and gender identity through West African and Afro-Mexican practices in music, song, and dance.
Acqua Santa Tattoo: A Documentary | United States | 2022 | 24’
Director: Janko Radosavljevic
Producers: Lee Donovitz, Joseph Ruiz, Antonio Companys, Joshua Williams, Rafael Shamsiev, Erika Rodrigues, Luciana Araujo
Cast: João Paulo Rodrigues
Synopsis: Short documentary featuring interview and behind the scenes footage with João Paulo Rodrigues, award-winning tattoo artist and founder of Acqua Santa Tattoo brand in NYC.
Finding Peace: The Story of Cliff Kent | United States | 2022 | 17’
Director: Drew Rasmus
Cast: Cliff Kent
Synopsis: Meet Cliff Kent, a familiar face down at the Santa Barbara Harbor for the past 50 years. He is a commercial fisherman, family man, and Santa Barbara native. This film recounts the harrowing story of Cliff Kent, Michael Caligiuri and Joesph Breck and their fateful night off the coast of Santa Cruz Island.
Experimental Short – Official Selection – December 2022
Creatura | Canada | 2022 | 13’
Directors: Ford Mckeown Larose, Phethsari Pathammavong
Writer: Ford Mckeown Larose
Producers: Forward Movements, Ford Mckeown Larose
Cast: Asmina Thirunavukarasu, Basilio-Augusto Rabanal-Ayansen, Darianne Ramirez-Blanchette, Klyvens Sanon, Sacha Riendeau, Taylor Catwell, Tommy Prud’Homme
Synopsis: If the world were to recreate itself in an empty space, how would new forms of life appropriate this environment? How would they evolve? Through lights and movements, Creatura explores the concept of genesis and evolution in a post-apocalyptic universe.
The Enemy | Ukraine | 2022 | 02’
Director: Shapxo
Writer: Shapxo
Producer: Stanislav Smirnov
Cast: Yana Rai, Tom Huang
Synopsis: Sometimes we just say something without thinking about the partner’s feelings. Under the thin skin, on the human’s soul, we are leaving small cuts, that slowly become deep bleeding wounds. It hurts, but as it is love, we keep walking on this razor’s edge again and again. Eventually, the wounds fill the minds with blood and make both drown in it. “The Enemy” – a short fashion horror film, a visual poem based on the quote from Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”: “Hatred is like a two-edged sword, when you cut the other person, you cut yourself.” Written & Directed by Shapxo Shot on Kodak 16mm by the Ukrainian production team in Europe 2022
Fashion Short – Official Selection – December 2022
There’s Beauty In My Body | United Kingdom | 2022 | 02’
Director: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Writer: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Producer: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Cast: Atlas Azure, Ethan Samuel Jacobs, Shun Yin, Celine Fortenbacher-Poplawska
Synopsis: Change is natural and just like the seasons we should find the beauty within each stage of our ever changing lives. This film is set to remind us to do just that… accept ourselves for who we are.
The Enemy | Ukraine | 2022 | 02’
Director: Shapxo
Writer: Shapxo
Producer: Stanislav Smirnov
Cast: Yana Rai, Tom Huang
Synopsis: Sometimes we just say something without thinking about the partner’s feelings. Under the thin skin, on the human’s soul, we are leaving small cuts, that slowly become deep bleeding wounds. It hurts, but as it is love, we keep walking on this razor’s edge again and again. Eventually, the wounds fill the minds with blood and make both drown in it. “The Enemy” – a short fashion horror film, a visual poem based on the quote from Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”: “Hatred is like a two-edged sword, when you cut the other person, you cut yourself.” Written & Directed by Shapxo Shot on Kodak 16mm by the Ukrainian production team in Europe 2022
Mini Short – Official Selection – December 2022
The American Dream | France | 03’
Director: Nikki Petersen
Writer: Nikki Petersen
Cast: Juilette Wiatr
Synopsis: Gaspard, a six-year-old boy, runs away from home in hopes of finding his father, an American whom he has never met. His quest leads him somewhat by mistake to an American Diner, where he thinks that the moment he has always been waiting for has finally come…
The Bloom | China | 2022 | 03’
Director: Jody Xiong
Writer: Zhang Yimou
Producer: Li Zhiwei, Yao Guoqing
Cast: Guo Xinnong Zheng Bo Hao Shanshan
Synopsis: On March 4, 2022, the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics was held at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. Disable people are not defined by their health conditions or impairments. Combined with the technology of brain wave idea control, the mental power expression of the disabled can be visualised. A group of impaired individuals came together to create a piece dedicated to the Winter Paralympics. They choose their favourite colours and place them in balloons with detonators. Then wear a brainwave-capturing device that sends a signal to trigger a detonator to detonate a balloon, and paint is sprayed on the canvas. The colourful intersections form an abstract “smiley face”, which means welcoming friends from all over the world with laughter. “Smiley face” debuted at the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics. How ‘The Bloom’ Works: We have people with disabilities wearing our brainwave controllers, which can capture the EEG (Electroencephalogram) signal of the wearer through the device’s receptors. The captured EEG signal will be converted into the corresponding EEG parameter using the NeuroSky biometric algorithm, thus controlling the external detonating device. Our external device is a PLC (programmable logic controller) connecting to 61 detonators via relays and wires. Each detonator is placed into a balloon full of colored pigments. Each person with disabilities can choose one or several ballons that they like. Then we will individually program the balloons via the PLC and match the balloons to the corresponding brainwave device. All they need to do is to focus, so they can convert their EEG signals to commands and trigger the detonation.
The Miserable Existence of Two Scorpions | Mexico | 2022 | 04’
Director: Fabio Colonna
Writer: Camila Carranza
Producer: Camila Carranza
Cast: Camila Carranza, Carlo Basabe
Synopsis: The terrace of a neighborhood in the heart of Mexico City can hide many secrets, within them, the poisonous love story of two extraordinary young people. The excess of illicit substances has brought Rue to the brink of madness, between drug dependence and the evident lack of affection, the need to be with Fez is increasingly evident. Fez for her part, can not afford any kind of distraction at this time of her life. But there is something about Rue that she finds impossible to ignore. It may be the first time she has felt this way about someone.
Football for Community | Austria | 2022 | 03’
Director: Dritter.Akt
Writer: Alexander Weber
Producer: Sarah Hashemi
Synopsis: After Saleha takes part in “Football without borders” she finds a new path in her life.
Safely Feel The Real World | China | 2022 | 03’
Director: Jody Xiong
Synopsis: Volvo / Durex “Safety feel the real world” Durex 001 collaborated with Volvo XC40 to co-release a short film. Colored in signature Durex 001 colors (black and gold), the animation follows a couple who wakeup from a VR simulated dream and escape to a safe reality on “001 Island.” In the visual narrative between the two brands, safety is a sexy and apparent benefit, one that allows us to approach intimacy and embrace reality. At the most critical moment in this film, In a very original way, a glass-like stomach and a metal esophagus are used to emphasize Volvo’s strong four-wheel drive, ground grip and other safety features. lyric： In a cold, cold world, I woke up alone Without you, my girl, without you I feel the sunlight as your warmth through my fingers I feel the wind as your whispers through my hair I know that you are here in my dream I know that you are safe in my heart So wake up, darling, just be with me Just fly with me When the day sleeps The nights will keep you all heart I hear a sign in the dark Don’t stay in the dream, Break through the fog When the roads to meet The love might start We can go to the new world Just you and me, girl Feel the golden hour glow Touch the sky we know Wake up, darling, just be in reality Wake up, darling, just be with me I keep the feeling of you and inside of me Keep us from falling apart (Nothing can erase this feeling between you and me) There’s a vision and fire in me The spark that makes the power grow The long straight road ahead oh yeah Fly with me, Fly I feel the sunlight as your warmth through my fingers I feel the wind as your whispers through my hair I know that you are here in my world I know that you are safe in my world In our new world， Feel the golden hour glow Touch the sky we know (Safely feel the new world)
CrabDance | United States | 2022 | 04’
Director: Zilong Wang
Writers: Yuchan Deng, Zilong Wang
Producer: Melody Sui
Cast: Liesl Kesuma
Synopsis: A GIRL HAS GROWN UP SO FAST WHEN SHE DIDN’T EVEN REALISE IT. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PLACE SHE HAS BEEN LIVING IN HAS A BIG CHANGE.
Music Video – Official Selection – December 2022
CLEMENT FROISSART – AUX LARMES | France | 2022 | 06’
Director: LEO CHADOUTAUD
Producer: PAUL STEFANUTO
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world populated by zombies, a melody is heard. A megalomaniac singer gives a concert, a last attempt to find his audience.
Le Temps des Ronces | France | 2022 | 04’
Director: Geoffroy Virgery
Producer: Geoffroy Virgery
Cast: Anne Claire Bondon, Philipp Leu, Maria Moreno
Synopsis: A grand-mother remembers a roadtrip which changed her life …
Vincent Peirani – JOKERS | France | 2022 | 09’
Directors: Alice Thibault, Thibaut Lurois
Writers: s: Amélie Salambier, Vincent Peirani
Producer: YES LES GUYZZ, ACT
Synopsis: Three musicians plagued by their neurosis wake in a strange funfair where they meet and fight their demons.
The Last Star | France | 2022 | 04’
Director: ValOne
Writer: ValOne
Producer: ValOne
Synopsis: Year: 7437. A mysterious ancient civilization is destroying all of the stars in the sky. One of its agents is about to destroy the last one. A beautiful blue star.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – December 2022
Bazigaga | Rwanda | 2022 | 27’
Director: Jo Ingabire Moys
Writer: Jo Ingabire Moys
Producers: Boris Mendza, Gaël Cabouat, Sonia Tardif d’Hamonville, Valentin Leblanc, Delphine Duez, Stéphanie Charmail
Cast: Eliane Umuhire, Ery Nzaramba, Roger Noël Ineza, Maély Mahavande
Synopsis: 1994, Rwanda. As the civil war rages, Bazigaga takes in a father and daughter hunted by the militia.
screenlife | Greece | 2022 | 22’
Director: Antonis Karathanasopoulos
Writer: Antonis Karathanasopoulos
Producer: Antonis Karathanasopoulos
Cast: Simoni Giannatou, Sofia Rouva, Sofoklis Mathiopoulos, Anastasia Tsoutsi, Erato Afentaki
Synopsis: In 2020 the normality of our everyday lives got interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic that forced governments to impose quarantines and restrictive measures to prevent the virus from spreading. “#screenlife” portrays the transition from the pre-Covid-19 era lifestyle to a different – more restrictive and fearful – way of of living, while emphasizing on our need for physical connection and communication.
The Deportation of a Model Citizen | Denmark | 2022 | 24’
Director: Jacob Thomas Pilgaard
Writers: Jacob Thomas Pilgaard, Pernille Hyllegaard
Producer: Kiril Schjørring
Cast: Thalita Beltrâo Sørensen, Joey Moe, Mads Hjulmand, Cecilie Bogø Bach, Søren Vejby, Tine Gotthelf
Synopsis: Two police officers are to pick up Aida, a young well-integrated student, from her foster mom and escort her to the airport where she is to be deported back to Syria. A touching and hard-hitting drama created with inspiration from a true story about a Syrian refugee. Oscar qualified for the 2023 awards
Twice my brother | Belgium | 19’
Director: Mickey Broothaerts
Writer: Mickey Broothaerts
Cast: Baptiste Sornin, Oumar Diolo
Synopsis: After a misunderstanding, Damien ends up sheltering a young Sudanese exile, Abdo. Their cohabitation had just begun when they guess themselves as homosexual and homophobic respectively. They get to know each other by confronting their respective fears and misguided preconceptions. In an explosive atmosphere, each intimately discovers “the other”, walking the thin line between the enemy and the fellow being.
About people and about war | 2021 | 12’
Director: ARTEL FIlM PRODUCTION
Writers: Aleksej Onishchenko, Ekaterina Harlamova, Pavel Chizh
Producers: Dmitrij Pasichnyuk, Anna Chizhova
Synopsis: The cycle “About people and about the war” is a collection of short stories based on the stories of people who experienced the hardships of wartime. These are tragic, heroic or even ironic cases that happened to boys and girls during the war of 1941-1945. They were young and beautiful guys who had dreams, plans, love, happiness and creativity ahead of them. But the war intervened. In the modern world, it is not easy to keep the memory of the feat of our ancestors. With our project, we want to remind you that even in the darkest and most terrible days, there is a place for exploits, ingenuity, self-sacrifice, funny coincidences and, of course, love. People rarely and reluctantly talk about their terrible experience. Therefore, there are very few truly truthful materials that have been preserved, not about the assaults and attacks, but about the ordinary everyday life of the war. WEB SERIES “ARTIST” Everyone has their own war – even theatrical artists. Only instead of weapons they have emotions, and they fight not with enemy troops, but with pain, fear and sadness. The propaganda team gives a performance for the wounded Red Army soldiers. A cheerful performance raises the morale of the fighters, allows you to temporarily forget about the hardships of wartime. Pavel – one of the artists – comes to the ward of seriously wounded soldiers, where, among other things, an unfamiliar girl lies. He decides to make a performance just for her. From now on, this story is no longer about war, but about bright hope, miracle and love. Sometimes only something spiritual can save the physical.
The woman by the window | Russian Federation | 2022 | 06’
Director: Gonchukov Arseniy Mikhailovich
Writer: Gonchukov Arseniy Mikhailovich
Producer: Gonchukov Arseniy Mikhailovich
Cast: Marina Zasuhina, Kirill Hortov, Violetta Titovskaya, Marat Tuktarov
Synopsis: Mother and son are in an empty flat. There is a mess. Clothes, boxes and bags are everywhere. It seems she is lost, not knowing what to do. She needs to pack. Only essential items. She need to leave for good as soon as possible.
Don’t Get Me Wrong | United Kingdom | 2022 | 12’
Director: Lucy Minderides
Writers: Lucy Minderides, Lily Rutterford
Producer: Lily Rutterford
Cast: Lily Rutterford
Synopsis: In an introspective monologue, a young female bartender details the highs and lows of her encounters with the local drunk, Nigel. She contemplates the complexities of navigating womanhood in our contemporary society, reflecting specifically on the significance of a woman’s smile. After all, how often is a man asked to smile?
SEVA | India | 2022 | 12’
Director: Maya Anandan
Writer: Maya Anandan
Producer: Maya Anandan (Asst. Producer)
Synopsis: Can selfless service be a model for food security?
Bon Appetite | China | 2021 | 11’
Director: Zikun WU
Producer: Zikun WU
Cast: Yi BIAN
Going Going | Canada | 2022 | 09’
Director: Fiona Margaret Highet
Writer: Fiona Highet
Producer: Alex Cabrera-Aragon
Cast: Nola Augustson
Synopsis: A middle-aged woman’s plan to leave her marriage, foiled by a momentary loss of resolve, becomes surreal when her husband comes home to celebrate his own new beginning.
CrabDance | United States | 2022 | 04’
Director: Zilong Wang
Writers: Yuchan Deng, Zilong Wang
Producer: Melody Sui
Cast: Liesl Kesuma
Synopsis: A GIRL HAS GROWN UP SO FAST WHEN SHE DIDN’T EVEN REALISE IT. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PLACE SHE HAS BEEN LIVING IN HAS A BIG CHANGE.
The escape | France | 2022 | 09’
Director: Antoine Blanche
Writer: Antoine Blanche
Producers: Vincent Vermandel, Antoine Blanche
Cast: Eva Guionnet, Arnaud De Grandry
Synopsis: Sarah is a young mother who has just separated from her husband, she is raising her little girl alone. At nightfall, Paul and Sarah find themselves for the third time in a park near the Saint Martin canal in Paris. Sarah has her eyes fixed on her daughter when the clumsy Paul tries to seduce her. For a moment, she no longer pays attention to anything.
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – December 2022
This is What I Would Do for Desire | Ecuador | 2022 | 04’
Directors: Ronny Argudo, Marla Xaviera
Writer: Caitlin Conlon
Producer: Marla Xaviera
Cast: Marla Xaviera
Synopsis: A woman in the constant pursuit of the highs of romance. Will she be able to maintain this unstable cycle or is she about to crash headfirst into the lows?
Cream | Canada | 2020 |13’
Director: Kelsey Gillis
Writer: Kelsey Gillis
Producer: Kelsey Gillis
Cast: Kelsey Gillis, Maria Maria Mørkrid, Wumi Amokeodo, Mark Warternberg
Synopsis: While shooting on location in Berlin, a young woman reconnects with her estranged sister, unearthing the trauma that led to their rift.
The Lobster | United States | 2022 | 03’
Director: Marshall Brock
Writer: Marshall Brock
Synopsis: Here’s the pinch, Daddy ate my pet lobster.
The escape | France | 2022 | 09’
Director: Antoine Blanche
Writer: Antoine Blanche
Producers: Vincent Vermandel, Antoine Blanche
Cast: Eva Guionnet, Arnaud De Grandry
Synopsis: Sarah is a young mother who has just separated from her husband, she is raising her little girl alone. At nightfall, Paul and Sarah find themselves for the third time in a park near the Saint Martin canal in Paris. Sarah has her eyes fixed on her daughter when the clumsy Paul tries to seduce her. For a moment, she no longer pays attention to anything.
Short Dance/Musical – Official Selection – December 2022
Creatura | Canada | 2022 | 13’
Directors: Ford Mckeown Larose, Phethsari Pathammavong
Writer: Ford Mckeown Larose
Producers: Forward Movements, Ford Mckeown Larose
Cast: Asmina Thirunavukarasu, Basilio-Augusto Rabanal-Ayansen, Darianne Ramirez-Blanchette, Klyvens Sanon, Sacha Riendeau, Taylor Catwell, Tommy Prud’Homme
Synopsis: If the world were to recreate itself in an empty space, how would new forms of life appropriate this environment? How would they evolve? Through lights and movements, Creatura explores the concept of genesis and evolution in a post-apocalyptic universe.
There’s Beauty In My Body | United Kingdom | 2022 | 02’
Director: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Writer: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Producer: Adrian Florin Ardelean
Cast: Atlas Azure, Ethan Samuel Jacobs, Shun Yin, Celine Fortenbacher-Poplawska
Synopsis: Change is natural and just like the seasons we should find the beauty within each stage of our ever changing lives. This film is set to remind us to do just that… accept ourselves for who we are.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – December 2022
Le Pompon | France | 2022 | 13’
Director: David Hourrègue
Writer: Stéphane Landowski
Producers: Boris Mendza, Gaël Cabouat, Sonia Tardif d’Hamonville, Élodie Baradat
Cast: Anna Mihalcea, Quitterie Picamoles, Malcolm Tanou, Roman Angel, Guillaume d’Harcourt
Synopsis: Sandra is a struggling single mom. But today, she holds her revenge. Her son Ryan will catch the pompon!
A Bird in The Hand | United States | 2022 | 13’
Director: Zalman band
Writer: Zalman band
Producer: Zalman Band
Cast: Peter Falls, Noelle Miller
Synopsis: A successful young music producer loses his love and his mind. Now he must survive his downfall.
I’d like to tell you that I don’t know what to tell you, you know what I mean | Switzerland | 2022| 24’
Director: Ludovic Damiano
Writer: Ludovic Damiano
Producer: Tiago Branquino
Cast: Constantino Gomez, Livio Damiano, Prune Beuchat, Florence Quartenoud, Philippe Mathey
Synopsis: Guido lives without thinking too much. He goes through life between his small job as a cashier in a grocery store and his small flat where he lives with his goldfish. His family is divided since his father had a child from an extra-marital relationship. When the patriarch dies, Guido is forced to accompany his eight-year-old half-brother to the latter’s mother. A poetic and human road movie
Short Drama – Official Selection – December 2022
Honor | Russian Federation | 2022 | 22’
Director: Rafael Mukaev
Writer: Rafael Mukaev
Cast: Boris Urtenov, Radmir Saryev, Shamil Mukaev
Synopsis: Two brothers lost their parents early and were raised by their grandfather. The old man and the elder brother are engaged in animal husbandry, adhere to the customs of their ancestors, and the younger brother wants to escape from this. He is attracted by modern life in the city. He contacts a dubious company and burns his life. The older brother, returning from work, meets his brother in the city in the company of dubious people. Trying to protect his brother and instill moral values in him, he takes him to the mountains
Line of Separation | Israel | 2022 | 18’
Director: Igor Raizberg
Writer: Igor Raizberg
Producers: Adi Navon, Igor Raizberg
Cast: Swell Ariel Or, Avraham Arenson
Synopsis: A religious man from a settlement in Samaria picks up a female hitchhiker from Tel Aviv. She offers him a puff of her weed, and as the settler averts his eyes off the road, he hits a Palestinian man with a cognitive disorder. The man gets up almost unscathed, and leaves after they compensate him financially. The duo also then try to leave the scene but the car refuses to start. The girl explains that she had come from a demonstration in one of the nearby outposts, which ignites a political debate. They eventually come to an understanding between them, which is not without some strong and unexpected chemistry.
Tommies | United Kingdom | 2022 | 15’
Directors: Brian Fairbairn, Karl Eccleston
Writers: Brian Fairbairn, Karl Eccleston
Producers: Ioanna Karavela, Erik Pack
Synopsis: In Regency-era London five women waiting for a carriage descend into a frenzy of vicious gossip about a notorious scandal – with devastating results. Georgina Ashton is on edge. It’s the last ball of the London season and she has no-one to go with: her husband Robert has suddenly left town and a friend – Fanny Beaumont – has mysteriously withdrawn an invitation to attend the ball with her. Having hastily rearranged to go with another friend, Mrs Willis, Georgina is shocked to find herself face to face with the very woman who has so inexplicably snubbed her. As the women wait for their carriage in the blistering heat tensions simmer – but the elephant in the room isn’t the one Georgina thinks it is. Rumours have resurfaced of a scandal that rocked London society some years before involving a gay brothel and clique of crossdressers. By the time the carriage is finally announced Georgina has been left in no doubt that she and her husband are about to be brutally exposed.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi– Official Selection – December 2022
Deep Blue | United States | 2022 | 15’
Director: Frances Deng
Writer: Frances Deng
Producer: Qi Yang
Cast: Elena V. Levenson, Jeremy Fietz
Synopsis: Andy, one of the few human beings in the world, needs to make a hard decision when she realizes they are running out of energy supplies, or else she and the AI program she developed will both die.
The Last Star | France | 2022 | 04’
Director: ValOne
Writer: ValOne
Producer: ValOne
Synopsis: Year: 7437. A mysterious ancient civilization is destroying all of the stars in the sky. One of its agents is about to destroy the last one. A beautiful blue star.
Short Horror – Official Selection – December 2022
Shut | Netherlands | 2022 | 15’
Director: Niels Bourgonje
Writer: Bastiaan Tichler
Producer: Daniel Aiss
Cast: Jack Wouterse, Sanne den Hartogh
Synopsis: When Jonas visits his father after a long time, he’s shocked to find him in a confused state. Has his father’s mental state badly deteriorated or is something more sinister going on?
Yule Cat | Sweden | 2022 | 05’
Director: Albin Glasell
Writer: Albin Glasell
Producer: Albin Glasell
Cast: Ingrid Bunnskog, Agnes Persson
Synopsis: The night before Christmas, an Icelandic family is struck by an evil that lurks in the dark.
Half Samurai | 2022 | 11’
Director: Rashad Haughton
Writer: Rashad Haughton
Producers: Toshi Sasahara, Alex Lai
Cast: Moctar Diouf
Synopsis: A mysterious drifter wanders into a bar owned by a psychopathic yakuza gang on Halloween night.
The Enemy | Ukraine | 2022 | 02’
Director: Shapxo
Writer: Shapxo
Producer: Stanislav Smirnov
Cast: Yana Rai, Tom Huang
Synopsis: Sometimes we just say something without thinking about the partner’s feelings. Under the thin skin, on the human’s soul, we are leaving small cuts, that slowly become deep bleeding wounds. It hurts, but as it is love, we keep walking on this razor’s edge again and again. Eventually, the wounds fill the minds with blood and make both drown in it. “The Enemy” – a short fashion horror film, a visual poem based on the quote from Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”: “Hatred is like a two-edged sword, when you cut the other person, you cut yourself.” Written & Directed by Shapxo Shot on Kodak 16mm by the Ukrainian production team in Europe 2022
Short Thriller/Mystery – Official Selection – December 2022
After dawn | France | 2022 | 29’
Director: Xavier Ournac
Writers: Xavier Ournac, Thomas Mercillon
Producer: Charles-Henri Vinot
Cast: Laurence Roy, Jean-Marie Frin, Anaelle Duguet, Brice London
Synopsis: Alice and Albert, a couple of young retirees, live a secluded life in their lakeside home. One day, a mysterious man comes out of the water and hides in their shed. Who is this man who remains silent and hidden? What does he want? Albert anticipates inevitable drama while Alice begins to plunge into a strange affair binding her with the stranger.
The Enemy | Ukraine | 2022 | 02’
Director: Shapxo
Writer: Shapxo
Producer: Stanislav Smirnov
Cast: Yana Rai, Tom Huang
Synopsis: Sometimes we just say something without thinking about the partner’s feelings. Under the thin skin, on the human’s soul, we are leaving small cuts, that slowly become deep bleeding wounds. It hurts, but as it is love, we keep walking on this razor’s edge again and again. Eventually, the wounds fill the minds with blood and make both drown in it. “The Enemy” – a short fashion horror film, a visual poem based on the quote from Haruki Murakami’s “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”: “Hatred is like a two-edged sword, when you cut the other person, you cut yourself.” Written & Directed by Shapxo Shot on Kodak 16mm by the Ukrainian production team in Europe 2022
Stop-Motion/Time-Lapse – Official Selection – December 2022
Button Down | Germany | 2022 | 04’
Director: Matthias Haller
Cast: Luca Dietsche
Synopsis: Buttons start disappearing from a young man’s shirt. Where do they go? Odd events occur in a young man’s room as he starts noticing missing shirt buttons. As soon as he’s out of sight the inanimate objects on the desk come to life. A pencil and a sharpener are having a race with their brandnew karts.
Forest Light | Germany | 2020 | 06’
Director: Matthias Haller
Synopsis: A timelapse journey, one year through the Blackforest in the southwest of Germany. Wide landscapes, refreshing waterfalls and magical forest light. Last year I was able to spend many hours in the Black Forest to capture the most beautiful moods of the four seasons. Around 80,000 individual pictures were taken during this time. The music is self-composed and -produced. Solo Cello: Daniel Steiner Solo Violin: Kathrin Haller
Student Short – Official Selection – December 2022
BODIES | United Kingdom | 2022 | 15’
Director: Abby Carter
Producer: Abby Carter
Synopsis: BODIES is a film for two screens based on a series of nine interviews with women and non-binary people, each of whom have a connection to open water. The voices you hear explore their relationships with bodies of open water as sounds and images from under and above the water surround you. The film celebrates the water for all its beauty, mystery, multiplicity, and magic, and uses it as a platform for discussions about the body, identity, life, and death. Content warning: discussion of mental ill-health and death.
The boy and her | China | 2022 | 10’
Director: Xinyuan XU
Writer: Xinyuan XU
Juni and Evy | United Kingdom | 2022 | 04’
Director: Matilde Senos
Synopsis: A chaotic chase between an earnest couple and a pair of desperate birds.
Through Gloom | Lithuania |2022 | 18’
Director: Arnas Balčiūnas
Writers: Arnas Balčiūnas, Augustė Perstinevičiūtė
Producer: Marija Kazlauskaitė
Cast: Ieva Kaniušaitė, Arvydas Dapšys
.mp4 | United States | 08’
Director: Peter Berle
Writer: Peter Berle
Producers: Jodi Resnick, Peter Berle
Cast: Charlie Kungl, Dianna Dudley
Synopsis: A young man’s relationship with gruesome online videos is put in question after seeing a former friend featured in one.
After the red | France | 2022 | 14’
Director: Marie Sizorn
Writer: Marie Sizorn
Producers: Léa Aïoun, Myriam Martou, Colomba Sansonetti
Synopsis: In Corsica, the inhabitants of a village witnessed a gigantic fire. A memory leads the filmmaker to this event that changed the course of their lives and left traces.
The Inheritor | United States | 2020 | 16’
Director: Quentin Gong
Writer: Quentin Gong
Producer: Quentin Gong
