Amateur Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Uno | United States | 2023 | 05’
Director: Joey Koenig
Writer: Joey Koenig
Producers: Urvashi Bhasin, Joey Koenig, Ted Koenig
Cast: Masaya Hirose, Joey Koenig
Synopsis: While sheltering indoors, a harmless game of cards gets physical between two friends.
Closer to heaven, back to the sea | Belgium | 2023 | 20’
Producer: Johan Swinnen
Synopsis: While running along one of the longest rivers in Europe, cancer researcher Johan Swinnen collected hundreds of paper boats each dedicated to someone who passed away, reminding us of the beauty and fragility of life. This film is an ode to those we miss and is a call to embrace life to the fullest.
Animation Short – Official Selection – January 2024
PURGA | Lithuania | 2023 | 14’
Directors: Gintarė Valevičiūtė Brazauskienė, Antanas Skučas
Writers: Gintarė Valevičiūtė Brazauskienė, Antanas Skučas
Producers: Giedrė Burokaitė, Lauras Lučiūnas
Synopsis: Winter, 1942. Beyond the Arctic Circle, on the uninhabited island of Trofimovsk in the Laptev Sea, deported peoples struggle to survive. This is the place chosen by Soviet authorities to deport vast numbers of inhabitants from the occupied Baltic countries, Finland, Ukraine and elsewhere. In this harsh, alien landscape, man is a mere speck. Against the backdrop of such majestic isolation, many thousands face the savage indifference and cruelty of nature. Always living on the edge, they must find a way to stay alive. All experiences depicted are based on the unfaded memories of those who survived.
Goose Mountain | China | 2023 | 18’
Director: Rui Hu
Writer: Rui Hu
Producers: Su Da, Zao Li, Wei Cui
Synopsis: A peddler helped an injured young man in the mountains, and the man invited him for a drink. A wondrous event happened when the man opened his mouth… The film uses the second person “you” to instill a fantastical sense of personal experience. The story is dapted from the chapter of “Yang Xian Scholar” in “The Story of Jiqi”, a collection of mystery folklore. Goose Mountain is one of the eight short films’ collection called ‘Yao – Chinese folktales’, which has earned over 100 million views in the first month it aired in 2023, with a whopping score of 9.5/10 on the Chinese review platform Douban(China’s version of IMDB), and of 9.9/10 on Bilibili (China’s version of Netflix).
The Kidnapping (Old Man Yang) | China | 2023 | 18’
Directors: Yang Gu, Kuang Liu, Liaoyu Chen
Writers: Yang Gu, Kuang Liu
Producers: Su Da, Zao Li, Wei Cui
Synopsis: Old man Yang is about to move away from the Beijing hutong that he had lived in for years, but he cannot help reminiscing on the old times. Until one day, he gets a mysterious Prize Draw… “The Kidnapping” is one of the 8 short films in a collection called ‘Yao – Chinese folktales’. which has gone viral in China in 2023, and has earned over 200 million views after only one month airing in China.
Ship Down the Well | China | 2023 | 15’
Directors: Xi Chen, Xiaolin Zhou, Liaoyu Chen
Synopsis: A boy was frightened by a ‘monster’ in the water, and was scared all the time. His friends brought him to a deserted yard. They found a statue of that ‘monster’ down a drained well… “Ship Down the Well” is one of the 8 short films in a collection called ‘Yao – Chinese folktales’, which has gone viral in China in 2023, and has earned over 200 million views after only one month airing in China.
Nobody (Little Pig Demon) | China | 2023 | 23’
Directors: Shui Yu, Liaoyu Chen
Producers: Da Su, Zao Li, Wei Cui, Liyin Feng
Synopsis: The protagonist is a little pig monster who has no name. One day the monster king announces a big plan to capture Monk Tang in 5 days. Eating him could make monsters an eternal life. Does the little pig can fulfill all his tasks? “Nobody (Little Pig Demon)” is one of the 8 short films in a collection called ‘Yao – Chinese folktales’. which has gone viral in China in 2023, and has earned over 200 million views after only one month airing in China.
Sushi Crush | Argentina | 2023 | 02’
Directors: Martin Schurmann, Ernesto Reyna
Writer: Martin Schurmann
Producer: Maria Florencia Cruz
Synopsis: A brief story of an epic battle which, according to the ancients, took place in the deep Orient, in times when forest creatures and humans fought and died for food. So remember, next time you eat Sushi, take a good look around you and watch out for bears.
Bluebird in the Wind | Hong Kong | 2023 | 05’
Director: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Writer: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Producer: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Cast: Yujia WANG
Synopsis: In a dream-like landscape, a girl journeys through her past and present in search of her own Bluebird. Is she pursuing a mere shadow, or has this Bluebird long been soaring within her heart?
Debut Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Unique Together | Netherlands | 2023 | 02’
Director: Lena Kadriye Ziyal
Writer: Lena Kadriye Ziyal
Producer: Lena Kadriye Ziyal
Synopsis: Unique Together is an animated branding video about the collective work environment of the creative agency Infotext.
Fields of Gold | 2023 | 02’
Director: Dirk Zekveld
Writers: Dirk Zekveld, Jeff van Pommeren, Martijn De Groot, Wieb Van de Donk
Producer: Caressa Essenberg
Synopsis: A story about the bond between brother and sister and how that is touched by cancer.
A Night in Bridge | United States | 2023 | 21’
Director: Justin Chi
Writer: Justin Chi
Producer: Justin Chi
Cast: Emma Holzer, Kendall Slocum, Caleb Short, Lionel McGloin, Harrison Lane
Synopsis: When a struggling young man receives an unexpected invitation to a weekend in the Hamptons, he sees it as his ticket to acceptance among the wealthy elite. However, as the night unfolds, he discovers that the lavish lifestyle comes at a steep price.
ILSE | Germany | 2023 | 19’
Directors: Claudia Engl, Judith Hoersch
Writers: Judith Hoersch, Claudia Engl
Producer: SARALISA VOLM
Cast: JUDITH HOERSCH, BÄRBEL SCHWARZ, VINZENZ WAGNER, MICHAEL SCHILLER, LARA FEITH, KAYA MARIE MÖLLER, MAXIMILIAN ZAAR, SARALISA VOLM, MICHAELA WIEBUSCH, FELIX MAXIMILIAN
Synopsis: 1945 in a German war hospital. Only one more day until the nurse Ilse is allowed to start her long-desired home vacation. If only there wasn‘t this one event that, despite the unexpected end of the war, suddenly changed her whole life. Ilse is a film based on a true story which demonstrates how close joy and suffering in life can be. It reminds us how important friendship and family are and how women experienced World War II. It is the heroic journey of a strong woman and a story about the survival instinct of our grandmothers.
Commercial/Ad/TVC – Official Selection – January 2024
The Tonality | Ukraine | 2023 | 16’
Directors: Dmytro Klid, Oleksandr Bedzir
Writers: Dmytro Klid, Oleksandr Bedzir
Producers: Dmytro Klid, Oleksandr Bedzir
Cast: Vladyslav Demydiuk, Roman Yanush
Synopsis: A young street musician and an elderly souvenir seller meet in a Ukrainian town 620 kilometers from the frontline. Their relationship is evolving while power generators roar in the background. The war is so far away, but at the same time so very close. Having different views on life and loathing each other’s day-to-day proximity, will the main characters be able to find common ground? Will they manage to bring their tonality in line with each other’s and the world around them?
Have You Seen This Man? | United Kingdom | 2023 | 05’
Director: Tiger George
Writer: Daniel Bishop
Producer: Dig and Tig Productions
Cast: Daniel Bishop
Synopsis: ‘Have You Seen This Man?’ is a comedy short film about the digital nomad experience. It is a silly satire on the modern phenomenon of people working remotely abroad and it focuses on a man-child who has abandoned all of his worldly responsibilities on the assumption that by moving far away he will finally be able to find himself. English subtitled version available
Documentary Short – Official Selection – January 2023
School Of Wake | Hong Kong | 2023 | 15’
Director: Ran Zhang
Producer: Wallas Lin
Synopsis: Dive into the captivating tale of Micky Chu, a former Hong Kong wakeboarding maverick who found his playground in untamed open waters. He now leads a team of young athletes as they carve out their own waves. For Micky, what he’s after is fostering the next generation’s fearless and creative spirit, which may even come before getting them to nail the technique.
Flow | Australia | 2022 | 03’
Director: James McArthur
Writer: James McArthur
Producer: James McArthur
Cast: Kate Rowe
Synopsis: A short documentary featuring Kate Rowe, woodworker.
Scarlet | Estonia | 20’
Director: Ralf Tafenau
Synopsis: Becoming a parent is for most people the happiest day in their lives, but for Gerhard and Keity that’s not the case. An otherwise smooth pregnancy takes a turn for the worse once labour starts, leaving both the newborn and mother in critical condition, Gerhard is left to face this situation on his own, unable to be at Keity’s side at the hospital. The film sets up to follow him over the upcoming days, with the first 72 hours being the most critical time for the newborn child.
Experimental Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Remember | Russian Federation | 2023 | 03’
Director: Anton Mirny
Writer: Anton Mirny
Producers: Anton Mirny, Yuriy Kolov
Synopsis: Substitution of memories can shape our reality, including false reality
Ben-gi | Turkey | 2023 | 20’
Director: Selen Terzi Öztekin
Writer: Selen Terzi Öztekin
Producers: Caner Gözübüyük, Ceyda Yüceer, Selen Terzi Öztekin
Synopsis: A woman wakes up alone on a deserted beach and finds herself searching for ways to survive in an estranged town. Following the breadcrumbs of a dystopian world, she begins to confront her fate.
The Head of Factory | 2023 | 20’
Director: Yugo Suzuki
Writer: Yugo Suzuki
Producer: Yugo Suzuki
Cast: Yushi Nagano, Yuma Sonan
Synopsis: In a strange factory, a photographer encounters a man in underwear.
Chiffon | India | 03’
Director: Siddharth Sharma
Writer: Siddharth Sharma
Cast: Ashwin Kumar, Shimona Nath
Synopsis: Envisioned during the peak of the pandemic as a two-piece presentation, Chiffon explores the physical and spiritual connection between two souls. Sometimes we need touch to recognise one another’s spirits. Rarer than ever now with faces half hidden and physical touch forbidden. While sometimes, there is a knowing deep within that surpasses all external stimuli. Neither is superior than the other, each pure in its own essence. Each worthy of its story to be told.
DREAMER | United States | 11’
Director: Balca Elif Sagmanli
Writer: Balca Elif Sagmanli
Producers: Balca Elif Sagmanli, Shen Wei, Jingruo Wang
Cast: Brigitte Leigh Williamson
Synopsis: In an effort to fall asleep, a young woman, Audrey, struggles through the entrapment of a dream-like state where she encounters the various challenges of time past, time present, and time future.
Fashion Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Digital Ghosts | 2023 | 03’
Director: Tanya Krom
Writer: Tanya Krom
Producers: Tanya Krom, Zu-zu Asmus Khannuf, Daniel Zlobin
Cast: Estezia Ja Fog
Tales of Courage | United Kingdom | 2023 | 04’
Director: Drue Bisley
Writer: Kezia Navey
Producers: Fabio Mayor, Sophia Dembitzer
Cast: Harriet Longhurst
Synopsis: In “Tales of Courage,” we witness a profound journey of self-discovery and freedom. Initially feeling powerless and disconnected from the world and herself, Harriet, takes a brave step to escape her painful existence. Through the art of pole dancing, she finds a new perspective, drawing closer to her true self and creating a deep connection to her mind and body. “Tales of Courage” celebrates growth, resilience and the healing power of dance, where vulnerability becomes a source of fortitude and strength.
Mini Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Hen Do | United Kingdom | 2023 | 02’
Director: Alia Ghafar
Writer: Alia Ghafar
Producer: Misha McCullagh
Cast: Christie Russell-Brown, Jamie Marie Leary, Cindy ` Awor, Rachael-Rose McLaren
Synopsis: En-route to her hen weekend, bride-to-be Faye kills the vibe with a bombshell confession.
SENIOR CHEATER | Netherlands | 2023 | 03’
Director: Charles Dekker
Writer: Charles Dekker
Producer: Charles Dekker
Cast: Ingeborg Gravesteyn, Harald Krol
Synopsis: A senior woman, explores the exciting cyber world of chatting, while her husband is asleep…
Reincarnation | Sweden | 2021 |04’
Synopsis: When a man wakes up in an unfamiliar place, he realize that he does not know who he is. The only thing he knows for sure is that whatever happened is not his fault.
Oh Ducky Boy | United Kingdom | 2023 |03’
Director: Van Velvet
Writer: Van Velvet
Producer: Josephine Amalie von Bülow
Cast: Milton Rodriguez, Rosita Calvi, María Eugenia Lafalla
Synopsis: In a quirky and humoristic way, Oh Ducky Boy delivers a conversation about human complexity when it comes to responsibility and denial. Using live action and animation in a funky, ironic and self absorbed music video style, it takes the audience on a journey through our waste and plastic contamination of the oceans and how we contribute to the pollution, are aware of the damage and still reject and deny responsibility. Oh Ducky Boy…Are we ever gonna learn?
Inkremental Tattoo | United States | 2023 | 01’
Director: Jerry Makare
Writer: Jerry Makare
Producer: Jerry Makare
Cast: Jesse Adam
Synopsis: A seasoned tattoo artist reflects on mistakes made while learning the trade.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Exhale | Sweden | 2023 | 12’
Director: Rouzbeh Noori
Writer: Rouzbeh Noori
Cast: Hanna Wibergh
Synopsis: A woman’s quest to get over a recent breakup begins to unravel.
Just A Little Longer | Sweden | 2022 | 20’
Director: Siggi Holm
Writer: Siggi Holm
Producers: Siggi Holm, Pontus Wicksell, Maya Lindh
Cast: Filip Berg, Manell Bane, Lo Kauppi
Synopsis: The film is about a father of a young daughter coming to terms with the passing of his wife by keeping her body at home for 3 days.
Hide and Seek | Bulgaria | 2023 | 15’
Director: Rositsa Trayanova
Writer: Rositsa Trayanova
Producer: Dessy Tenekedjieva
Cast: Anna Bankina, Hristina Djurova, Daria Donkova, Julia Veleva
Synopsis: It’s summertime. Rosie is solving mathematics while her grandmother is baking cookies. Both of them leave the tasks and the biscuits to “rise” to go and have some fun while playing “hide and seek”. Rosie is hiding first but her grandma is finding her way too quickly. After that, they switch. Counting with her eyes closed, Rosiе doesn’t realise that her life is moving as fast as the counting. Reaching 10, Rosie opens her eyes and realises that there is a change in her life that she is not ready for.
Sleeping Jade | France | 2023 | 19’
Director: Jonathan BOISSINOT
Writer: Jonathan BOISSINOT
Producer: Zoé LECLERCQ
Cast: Nina RODRIGUEZ, Pierre LAMBELL, Elie BOISSIERE
Synopsis: While trying to relax after a day of work, Jade and Gabriel are disturbed by their neighbor, a lonely man they hear smashing the broken elevator with a hammer. The young couple tries to ignore him, but their neighbor is determined to make himself heard, whatever it takes.
Sunrise Boulevard | United States | 2023 | 20’
Director: Mike Montagna
Writer: Mike Montagna
Producers: Roy Shellef, Mike Montagna
Cast: Joseph Lopez, Leota Rhodes, Rebecca Ritz
Synopsis: 1955. An in-crisis famous actress enrolls in a Clinic that helps artists to find inspiration through a pioneering sorrow therapy. The therapy doesn’t work with her. The other artists start to take inspiration from her sunny presence. The only way to bring the Clinic back to a painful and productive atmosphere is to turn her smile off forever.
LOBO | United Kingdom | 2023 | 30’
Director: Sean Connolly
Writer: Sean Connolly
Producers: Sean Connolly, Carolina Lobo Nunes
Cast: João Nunes Monteiro, Diogo Martins, Teresa Tavares, Paulo Calatré
Synopsis: LOBO is about a timid but enraged teenage boy who escapes into the wild with his fearless older brother, after making the ultimate sacrifice for his family. It encapsulates the lengths one might go to protect one of their own. As they venture deeper into the wild, the pair are forced to face their turbulent past and re-discover what it means to be brothers. Things start to fall apart when reality rips the veil of delusion from their eyes.
The Monopol | Israel | 2023 | 14’
Director: Gal Genossar
Writer: Nati Brooks
Producers: Amit Eran, Michael Katrih, Alex Osmolovsky, Gal Genossar, Nati Brooks
Cast: Eka Demetradze, Vladimer Novosardov, Dato Velijanashvili, Elene Mamuchelashvili, David Gigolashvili
Synopsis: Skopje, Macedonia, 1943. Anna and her family are led to a concentration camp before being transported to Treblinka death camp. She faces the decision between immediate escape with her husband and daughter or risking everything and try and save the rest of her family.
The Serena Variations | United States | 2023 | 28’
Director: Warren Andrew Fischer
Writers: Nathan DeZur, Sam Kahn
Producers: Warren Fischer, Tyler Ben-Amotz
Cast: Dylan Brown, Renata Friedman
Synopsis: A young female violinist with undiagnosed autism spirals out of control as she works on a new opus with a domineering composer, embarking on a psychedelic journey that both pushes her to the edge of mental collapse and fuels her creative power.
LA VIE EN ROSES | France | 2022 | 25’
Director: Patrice CORDONNIER
Writers: Patrice CORDONNIER, Pierre-François BERTRAND
Producers: Patrice CORDONNIER, Isabelle MAROLLEAU
Cast: Alix BENEZECH, Matheo CAPELLI, Claire GUILLON, Asmaa EL HADRAMI, Alexandra DESLOIRES, Daravirak BUN, Simon LETELLIER, Dorian KANE, Ania DI COOPER
Synopsis: Alix, a passionate young florist is having an emotional day with the constant stream of strange customers coming in and out of her shop. In spite of the great pleasure she gets from making « ad hoc » bouquets for her customers, and the close ties she develops with them, as well as witnessing bonds sometimes forming between certain customers themselves, Alix seems more and more stressed as the hours and minutes of the clock tick by…
The white horse | Romania | 2023 | 17’
Director: Goran Mihailov
Writers: Simina Banulescu, Tudor Buican
Producers: Eduard Harris, Adrian Smarandache
Cast: Sorin Dinculescu, Ana Maria Paslaru
Synopsis: A couple’s daily routine is interrupted by an unexpected threat.
Red | United States | 2023 | 13’
Director: Phumzile Sitole
Writer: Phumzile Sitole
Producer: Triple One Eight Productions
Cast: Claire Curtis-Ward, Aaron Morton
Synopsis: In the heart of Brooklyn, ‘RED’ steps inside the crossroads of a sex worker and her neighbor and landlord – both dealing with a shift in their realties.
CANDY | United Kingdom | 2022 | 14’
Director: Sarah Grant
Writer: Sarah Grant
Producer: Misha McCullagh
Cast: Sarah Grant, Katrina Allen, Cameron Fulton
Synopsis: A body positive comedy that joyfully reclaims female sexuality and self-confidence. Mandy, a plus-size burlesque enthusiast, is practicing for her first public performance. Only when her best friend needs her does she find the confidence to perform in her full power.
You Land | United Kingdom | 2023 | 15’
Director: Debora Maité
Writer: Debora Maité
Producers: Carys Evans, Katie Mallinder, Mary-Helena Quigley
Cast: Anna Russell-Martin, Selina Boyack
Synopsis: In the remote Scottish countryside, a downtrodden woman finds herself entangled in a newly-discovered influencer culture, whilst in search of respite from the humdrum of rural living and the impending weight of caregiving duties.
Rimbaud’s Left Hand | Czech Republic | 2023 | 15’
Director: Andrew Horne
Writer: Andrew Horne
Producers: Andrew Horne, Mihir Kulkarni
Cast: Jenn Kirk, Oscar Nagar
Synopsis: When an unstable vagrant is discovered living in the walls of a bar, the quick-witted owner must navigate the situation until help arrives before things take a turn for the worse.
AMERICAN BOY | France | 2023 | 24’
Director: Maxime Renard
Writer: Maxime Renard
Producer: G.R.E.C
Cast: Bilel Chegrani
Synopsis: Malik spends his days trying to get attention from others with empty, boring chats. One day, he catches the attention of one guy with a lie, saying that he will go to USA for studying cinema. The news quickly goes around the neighborhood and Malik become suddenly everyones’s hope and pride.
Wishes from the Well | Estonia | 2023 | 18’
Director: Alesja Suzdaltseva
Writer: Sven-Sander Paas
Producer: Anet Õunpuu
Cast: Meelis Rämmeld, Kris Kaspar, Tiina Tauraite
Synopsis: “Wishes from the well” is a short film about a down and out man who needs coins for medicine. And now he steps onto the road of lies to get some coins.
L+T | Bulgaria | 2024 | 18’
Director: Nevena Nikolova
Writer: Nevena Nikolova
Producer: Emajick Productions
Cast: Alexandra Lashkova, Dimitar Sulev
Synopsis: A young woman makes a heartbreaking love confession to a stranger in a snack bar. None of them imagined how far this will go.
Technical Support | United States | 2023 | 09’
Director: Kris Lefcoe
Writer: Darin X. Cape
Producers: Shawn Hainsworth, Anthony Argento
Cast: Courtney Pauroso, Davey Johnson, Aparna Nancherla
Synopsis: Milton, a lonely middle-aged man, is thrilled when his new sex robot is delivered. As he explores all her pre-programmed modes, he begins to become emotionally attached to his new companion. But when he selects dominance mode, she goes too far, leading to the most awkward customer service of his life. Based on the indie comic book series, EroTech, Technical Support is an edgy comedy about sex, relationships, and technology starring Courtney Pauroso, Davey Johnson and Aparna Nancherla.
Music Video – Official Selection – January 2024
TIME | Canada | 2023 | 04’
Director: Éloïse Lavictoire
Synopsis: $anteria’s first videoclip for his single TIME, about the regrets of the past. Le premier vidéoclip de $anteria pour son single TIME, à propos des regrets du temps passé.
Wait 4 Me | United States | 2023 | 05’
Director: Bailey Warner
Cast:Cam Jacob
Synopsis: Music video for artist Cam Jacob and his song, “Wait 4 Me.”
As long as we’re together | Slovenia | 2023 | 04’
Director: Miha Šubic
Writer: Mojca Pernat
Producers: Maja Berčič, Timotej Kresnik, Jan Smole, Luka Hernet, Niki Fišer, Nina Jakulin Vavpotič, Zala Cast: Pokeržnik, Luka Pušaver
Synopsis: The end of the world is coming. Music video for “As long as we’re together” by Alo!Stari x Naja
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – January 2024
Bluebird in the Wind | Hong Kong | 2023 | 05’
Director: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Writer: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Producer: Ellis Kayin CHAN
Cast: Yujia WANG
Synopsis: In a dream-like landscape, a girl journeys through her past and present in search of her own Bluebird. Is she pursuing a mere shadow, or has this Bluebird long been soaring within her heart?
Glimmer | China | 2023 | 12’
Director: Bo Zhang
Writer: Bo Zhang
Producer: Donghui Wang
Cast: Yuting Liu, Xinyuan Zhang
Synopsis: This film is dedicated as a gift to all the children around the world who are about to start school. As you grow, you may encounter dangers, you may come across people or things that harm you, and you may face pivotal decisions on your path in life. To transcend yourself, to overcome yourself. One must move forward with courage, remain calm and composed in the face of difficulties and dangers. Difficulties and dangers are real, but fear is not.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – January 2024
The Hourglass | United Kingdom | 2023 | 10’
Director: Alessio Morreale
Writer: Alessio Morreale
Producer: Alessio Morreale
Cast: Lucia Saavedra, Melissa Acimis, Sofia Morreale
Synopsis: The wordless story of a young girl’s path to the sacred tree.
Hypnotica | Canada | 2023 | 07’
Director: Juan Carlos Huerta
Writers: Juan Carlos Huerta, Anita Vergara
Cast: Anita Vergara
Synopsis: A girl with insomnia problems runs out of her sleeping pills so she tries a new experimental therapy that slowly traps her in an endless nightmare.
Short Thriller/Mystery – Official Selection – January 2024
Thirteen | Austria | 2023 | 20’
Director: Viktoria Windhab
Writer: Tom Bezhanishvili
Producers: Viktoria Windhab, Tom Bezhanishvili
Cast: Tom Bezhanishvili, Lisa Sigismondi, Michael Glantschnig, Astrit Alihajdaraj
Synopsis: Thomas, a successful tax associate, receives an unexpected phone call while driving home, which triggers a series of events that could threaten his carefully cultivated life.
Mask. | Ireland | 2022 | 11’
Director: Margaret Kane-Rowe
Writer: Margaret Kane-Rowe
Producers: Richard Kearney, Mo O’Connell
Cast: Mo O’Connell, Graham Earley
Synopsis: “We are what we hide” During the angst of the early pandemic in the corner of a dark underground car park, a troubled young father leaves his sleeping child alone in the car. An appalled woman intervenes.
The Painter | Mexico | 2023 | 18’
Director: Ana Garrido
Writer: Ana Garrido
Producers: Ana Garrido, Oscar Palomar, Gustavo Ramirez, Pedro Arcos
Cast: Mistral Moreno, Cinthya Hernández, Jorge Quiroz
Synopsis: An art student is feeling stuck and frustrated in her work, one evening she witness a mugging that sparks her creativity
We Will Find YOU | Spain | 20’
Director: Judson Vaughan
Writer: Judson Vaughan
Producers: Judson Vaughan, Marek Dabrowski
Cast: Kevin Stewart, Emilio Salgado, Tom Vaughan, Judson Vaughan
Synopsis: A man haunted by the murder of his brother searches for the whereabouts of his killer. Tagline: ‘Loyalty knows no bounds’
The Serena Variations | United States | 2023 | 28’
Director: Warren Andrew Fischer
Writers: Nathan DeZur, Sam Kahn
Producers: Warren Fischer, Tyler Ben-Amotz
Cast: Dylan Brown, Renata Friedman
Synopsis: A young female violinist with undiagnosed autism spirals out of control as she works on a new opus with a domineering composer, embarking on a psychedelic journey that both pushes her to the edge of mental collapse and fuels her creative power.
Stop-Motion\Time-Lapse – Official Selection – January 2024
Deadline | Israel | 2023 | 13’
Director: Idan Gilboa
Writers: Idan Gilboa, Shahar Fux
Producer: Idan Gilboa
Synopsis: Deadline is a black comedy Stop-motion short that explores the power balance between bureaucracy, death and feline devotion of the elderly. At its center is a story of a brave friendship and solidarity between two senior ladies sickened by society’s disregard and disrespect.
Johnny Crow | Canada | 2021 | 08’
Directors: Xstine Cook, Jesse Gouchey
Writers: Xstine Cook, Jesse Gouchey, Mitcholos Touchie
Producer: Xstine Cook
Cast: Micholos Touchie
Synopsis: A poetic and transformative journey of a young man’s physical, mental, and spiritual struggle to return to his son through the criminal justice system and the layers of colonization it represents. Created by animating spray-painted murals frame-by-frame, Cree artist Jesse Gouchey painted each frame on large outdoor surfaces over a period of seven years in numerous locations across Alberta and BC. Johnny Crow’s struggle speaks to the resilience of modern day warriors surviving and resisting bureaucratic battles of written laws vs oral traditions, and is contrasted by a haunting poem written and performed by spoken word artist Mitcholos Touchie. Turtle Island agreements were to share, and nobody was conquered. Today’s resistance seeks to expose and correct treaty trickery, the dishonourable paper wars that are won and lost with the flick of a stock market digit. Music by Bullhorn Singers (Kainai), Billy Wadsworth (Kainai), Celina Kalluk (Inuit-Canadian), Daniel Neary, Pura Fé (Tuscarora), Cary L. Morin, and Antonia Crescioni. Spoken word: Mitcholos Touchie (Hitacu, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ x Nuučaan̓uɫ)
Mildred’s Exotic Meat Emporium | United Kingdom | 2024 | 06’
Director: Zalika Jasmine English
Writer: Zalika Jasmine English
Cast: Zalika Jasmine English, Sharon Fraser-English, David Holt, Barnaby Templer
Synopsis: After some time apart Annie jumps at the opportunity to work at her aunt Mildred’s butchery store. Mildred treats Annie well, but keeps quiet about the suspicious packages under the counter that prove popular with customers. An accident reveals the aunt’s secret – and leads to Annie taking over the business.
Student Short – Official Selection – January 2024
Pitom | Israel | 19’
Director: Sean Paneth
Writer: Sean Paneth
Producer: Sam Santcroos
Cast: Guy Gurevich, Ella Kanevsky, Yoav Rabinovitz
Synopsis: Moshe, a shy man with a stage fright and a Stuttering disorder, will unite with his childhood friend Lenny, a magical talking puppet, and go up on stage to impress his crush from work in a stand-up show.
In the Name of Love | China | 2023 | 10’
Director: Xiao Lin
Writer: Xiao Lin
Producer: Zihan Lin
Cast: Zongyu Fan, Daiting Zhou, Chuang Yao
Synopsis: Before suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Ru lived with her daughter and granddaughter for many years. Her granddaughter, Xiao, comes home for vacation this summer, so Ru wants to go out for groceries to make dumplings to celebrate the family reunion. However, as Alzheimer’s disease continues to worsen, Ru’s daughter, Ting, does not allow Ru to go out. Ru insists on going out, but unexpectedly, an “accident” happens.
Halfway House | Germany | 2024 | 23’
Director: Konstantin Münzel
Writer: Luis Martinson
Producers: Bianca Beer, Helena Zeppenfeldt
Cast: Florian Geißelmann, Liel Malka, Samia Chancrin
Synopsis: A facility for juvenile offenders in the middle of the Black Forest. Physical labor, military structures, circuit training and hierarchy. The disciplined inmate Jurek feels his status threatened by the arrival of the novice Sascha and finds himself caught in a delicate tension between fascinating attraction, suppressed aggression and rediscovered tenderness.
Orange Flavored Love | Belgium | 2023 | 30’
Director: Angela Alsouliman
Writer: Angela Alsouliman
Producer: Angela Alsouliman
Cast: Fryal Ahmad Yaseen
Synopsis: In Mosul, Nawal takes care of her ailing mother Samia. The mother’s condition gets worse as medicine is no longer available in the city. In the few days she has left, Nawal, her mother and their neighbour share small moments of joy. The ladies sing and dance, they use make-up and make scents, they tell jokes and laugh too hard. In the midst of illness, poverty and war, they manage to transform something dire into something joyful, creating beauty where ugliness strikes. Orange Flavored Love is a sensory fiction drama full of smiles, colours and smells.
Father’s Footsteps | Syrian Arab Republic | 2023 | 29’
Director: Mohamad W. Ali
Writer: Mohamad W. Ali
Producers: Ishita Mehta, Tushar Tyagi, Mohamad W. Ali, Youssef Ali
Cast: Nowar Yusuf, Veer Behal, Jennifer Sidhu, Sara Altawil
Synopsis:In the Syrian War, a woman lost her husband trying to hide the truth from her tongue-tied(Muted) child by acting the father role, facing life alone trying to protect her family.
Three Minutes | China | 2023 | 06’
Directors: Zeting Li, Hanzong Tian
Writer: Zeting Li
Producers: Yunzhu Liu, Shuoqi Huang
Cast: Xi Chen, Bohua Zhong, Zhen Qin, Enshuo Liu, Lin Ke
Synopsis: A drug dealer fellow’s life path is completely altered after he heard from the death that he is about to die.
Video Store | Switzerland | 2024 | 12’
Director: Tanguy Pichon
Writer: Tanguy Pichon
Producers: Louis Charles Choisy, Tanguy Pichon
Cast: Mossane Vernay, Jéremy Luongo, Chloé Mauron, Josh R Walter, Igor Teles Seabra
Synopsis: Stan works at a video rental store. His boss, Jacqui, treats him really bad and makes him realise how sad his life is. To escape the sad world he lives in, Stan starts to find peace in his favorites action movies, in which he imagines himself as the hero. Stan starts to slowly lose his mind, as the border between the movies in his mind and his tragic reality becomes more and more blurry.
Sparks | Poland | 2022 | 20’
Director: Bartek Cebula
Writer: Bartek Cebula
Producer: Maciej Ślesicki
Cast: Ignacy Liss, Marta Stalmierska
Synopsis: A desperate young guy enlists the help of a girl he met on a dating app, to help him break up with his toxic girlfriend. The later it gets, the more the pair lose themselves in their fake roles, and the game gets out of hand.
Shtander, shtander, Katya! | Estonia | 2023 | 14’
Director: Alexandra Shadrina
Writer: Alexandra Shadrina
Producer: Anna Miller
Cast: Stella Frišman, David Babayan
Synopsis: A story about the relationship of two teenagers, who used to look at each other as friends, but this summer he fell in love with her. She can’t respond the same but is afraid of losing their friendship until a silly game destroys everything.
Mother’s Recipe | Singapore | 2023 | 05’
Director: Izumo Kawabe
Writer: Izumo Kawabe
Producer: Sam Lyu
Csst: Hyuga Kawabe, Elton Cheah, Keiko Hosokawa, Viviane Rao, Naoji Kurihara
Synopsis: A young Japanese boy explores a lively Singaporean food court and forms an unlikely friendship with a local boy, bonding through the universal language of food.
A Night in Bridge | United States | 2023 | 21’
Director: Justin Chi
Writer: Justin Chi
Producer: Justin Chi
Cast: Emma Holzer, Kendall Slocum, Caleb Short, Lionel McGloin, Harrison Lane
Synopsis: When a struggling young man receives an unexpected invitation to a weekend in the Hamptons, he sees it as his ticket to acceptance among the wealthy elite. However, as the night unfolds, he discovers that the lavish lifestyle comes at a steep price.
