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SHORT to the Point – July 2023 Nominees

Animation Short – Official Selection – July 2023

The 7th Night: MaoMao Revisits | Malaysia | 2023 | 04’
Director: ahLoong
Writer: ahLoong
Producers: Edmund Chan, Raye Lee
Synopsis: A story about a little boy waiting for the return of his lost beloved cat.

I PLAYED MY TROMBONE TODAY | United Kingdom | 2023 | 03’
Director: Nicolas George Lucas
Synopsis: ‘A trombone players mind and reality start to merge whilst nervously awaiting to perform, activating parts of his brain which process memory, emotion, vision and movement differently’
The film is an experimental printmaking based animation, with each frame drawn and then printed using a variety of different printmaking processes. These include primarily using the Risograph, Office printer, Lino and Foam printing.

Requiem | Canada | 2023 | 06’
Director: Deadbeat Animation
Producers: Elina Nie, Antony Tsai, Abbey Collings, Sofia Mazzotta, Grace Choi, Guillermo Botero, Charlotte Maung, Jasmine Wang, John Farley, Nikita Greer
SynopsisOn the night of a grand concert in Paris, a young pianist flees from her performance after a panic attack, and finds herself wandering deep within the mysterious Catacombs.

Son! | Montenegro | 2023 | 08’
Director: Nina Đukanović, Goran Ivanović
Writer: Nina Đukanović
Producers: Nina Đukanović, Goran Ivanović
Cast: Nina Đukanović
Synopsis: Son! is the artist’s lament over the fate of women in Montenegro, nowadays. Those trapped in the shackles of patriarchy and those never born. Because the patriarchy pronounced the verdict that they are unwanted and redundant. Because Montenegro is facing a problem that is kept silent: sex-selective abortions. This is a film about them, the unborn. A lament over the genocide of women that no one acknowledges. Because it’s time to wake up. And because someone has to raise the voice for the salvation of unborn doughters. Son! Is calling for you.

NIGHT TRAIN | France | 2021 | 03’
Director: Sofia Gutman
Producer: Jacques Collin
Cast: Amlan Larcher, Paul Duquenne, Tara Flaherty
Synopsis: A young woman is returning from work on the night train. She is taking the big TER train to the outskirts of the city. Lonely, she looks out into the deserted landscape. A chance encounter will make this night memorable.

GrownUp | United States | 2023 | 06’
Director: Jee Kim
Writer: Jee Kim
Producer: Jee Kim
Cast: Brad Avenyou, Nicholas Contreras, Boston Mullen
Synopsis: A peculiarly precocious boy whose perfectly well-adjusted life comes to a halt when his long lost father returns to make amends.

A Paw Over Dark | United States | 2023 | 11’
Directors: Dorian Saisse, Marisa Molson
Producer: Judy Lung
Cast: Jake Ohlhausen
Synopsis: A washed up actor performs night after night in a grimy theater to a nearly empty audience. However, everything changes when a clueless dog jumps on stage.

Rabbit on the Moon | United States | 2023 | 05’
Director: Lezhi Yu
Synopsis: A poetic description of a child chasing an spherical object/creature. The development of the chase is like going down a rabbit hole that passes through and beyond space and time.

Children Short – Official Selection – July 2023

Shards | Sweden | 12’
Director: Henrik Dahlbring
Writer: Henrik Dahlbring
Producer: Henrik Dahlbring
Cast: Lovisa Perman, Ola Normelli, Ariana Navarro Cázares, Peter Lindqvist
Synopsis: After their father’s suicide attempt, siblings Maja and Maximilian meet up to clean their father’s house before his discharge from the hospital.

Beyond the Farm | United States | 2023 | 03’
Director: Allison Fraidenburg
Writer: Allison Fraidenburg
Producer: Ringling College of Art and Design
Cast: Natalie Rarick, Kevin Temmer, Allison Fraidenburg
Synopsis: A young, adventurous goat sings to his protective dad about why they should leave the farm and explore the world of Ancient Greece.

Commercial/Ad/TVC – Official Selection – July 2023

Language We Know | Canada | 2023 | 02’
Director: Athena Han
Writer: Athena Han
Producers: Yael Carnet, Laura Carnet
Cast: Estelle Joonhee Sim, Joseph So-Choon Lee
Synopsis: A new Korean immigrant girl at her first soccer practice in Canada anxiously learns English soccer terms to fit in, but soon realizes she already knew the “language” of the sport when she successfully passes to her teammate, leading to a goal.

Home of Hope | Germany | 2023 | 02’
Director: Franziska Heinemann
Producer: Alexander a Draheim
Synopsis: Cape Town. A place of extremes, marked by colonialism, infrastructure that grew too fast and the attempt to keep up with progress. Popular with tourists, a hard place for millions of people who live in tin shacks right next to villa neighborhoods, and appreciated by DoPs and photographers for its special light. On a mountain side close to the sea is a so-called township, a poor quarter, in the otherwise very well-heeled Hout Bay – Imizamo Yethu. About 35,000 people live on 18 hectares. Like the other townships in the country, this settlement is plagued by crime and disasters, such as a massive fire in 2017. As a tourist, you should not enter the area alone. Especially not after dark. This environment is also home to many children who grow up and become adults here. There are schools, but their facilities, class sizes and overworked teachers are beyond our imagination. For children who have lost parts of their family, are orphans, or come from families that cannot support them, there are a few hundred square meters at the eastern end of Imizamo Yethu where they can be a child. The NPO iKhaya le Themba has built a playground, several classrooms and a library and canteen behind secure gates. For the children in grades 1 to 8, this creates the opportunity for a complete school education with real graduation by allowing them to deepen and catch up on what they have (actually) learned. The groups are smaller, there are enough teachers, crime and bullying remain behind the closed gates of the institution. But above all, a safe place is created where they can be children for a few hours a day. There are enough learning materials, but also books and toys that no one else has at home. By taking care of the children, their families can work and have less to worry about for their future.

Coming back from the dead | 2023 | 01’
Director: Andrés Nuño
Synopsis: Take a journey of emotions in this original one minute spot by Andrés Nuño.

Tribute To Freedom | Austria | 2023 | 01’
Directors: Charlotte Wendt, Philipp Silbernagl
Writer: Charlotte Wendt
Cast: Laura Philipp
Synopsis: Human needs are paramount in our world. Other living beings have to suffer time and again because of our actions, especially animals. Under the guise of supposed education and the exercise of species protection, it is legitimized that animals are often torturously put into glass boxes in a very confined space. Above all, animals want to follow their instincts and be able to decide what they do and where they go. They can only do that in their natural habitat, which we take away from them for our personal pleasure.

Le Portrait | France | 2022 | 02’
Director: Elisa Vigroux
Writer: Elisa Vigroux
Producer: Arthur Dupuy
Cast: Muriel Buosi, Alexandre Ordas
Synopsis: “She”and “He” will change eras thanks to dance. The two perfumes will take them on an olfactory across time.

Debut – Official Selection – July 2023

Fox child | Germany | 2021 | 13’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producers: Jan Čapar, Maud Heyne, Jansen Čapar
Synopsis: – “Fox child” tells a story about acceptance and healing facing a congenital illness. – “Fox child” tells the story of a young girl living with tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder resulting in “tics” – seemingly involuntary twitches and movements as well as tic-like vocal expressions. Being different than the other kids her age she tries to gain acceptance but faces teasing and rejection on a daily basis. After a bad day, being rejected even by her mother, she meets a mysterious fox who leads her into a magical world inside of herself where she begins a journey to learn how to face and to accept her tics and how to gain back her confidence and self-love.

BLINK | United States | 2022 | 04’
Director: Marco Lavagnino
Writer: Marco Lavagnino
Cast: Atila Carmona
Synopsis: A young man documents a tally line with every blink until deciding that he needs to find a solution to the problem. This sends him into a timeless journey where he is to become distracted by life in hopes of one day realizing that his blinking no longer controls his consciousness.

Documentary Short – Official Selection – July 2023

JOURNEY TO THE ESSENCE – Collectif Orchestral Sous Influences | Italy | 2023 | 33’
Director: Helmut Lechthaler
Writer: Lena Lechthaler
Producer: Helmut Lechthaler
Synopsis: The documentary film JOURNEY TO THE ESSENCE – Collectif Orchestral Sous Influences” portrays an extraordinary Parisian ensemble. A motley composition of languages, cultures, identities and influences makes up the group. And at the same time, it is one and the same endeavour that unites them: leaving the commercial metropolitan milieu to bring classical music where it was once strongly rooted and now threatens to disappear. Animated by their unconditional devotion to music, the orchestra sets out from the big city to the periphery. The young musicians visit abandoned places, revived villages and natural settings to give the people there what brings them together – music. The result is an incomparable energy and atmosphere that inspires the audience and the musicians alike. The 33-minute film emphasises the power of music, the beauty of nature and the importance of origin. The audience is taken on a musical journey, experiencing what moves music and how enriching it can be to follow unconventional paths.

Now I Am Old and Do Not Need the Moon | United States | 2023 | 12’
Director: Dasha Bough
Cast: Daria Kretsu
Synopsis: In a small Roma village deep in Moldova, an old woman named Daria lives in fear of the Russian-Ukrainian war at her doorstep. Mischievous kids, watchful babushki, and stray dogs surround her. Alone in her hut, she contemplates love, the Soviet Union, and the tragedy that derailed her life as a young woman. Her television set fills the silence.

Art of the Encounter | Switzerland | 2022 | 29’
Director: Limat Marinka
Producers: Mark Olexa, Limat Marinka
On her art walk from Kassel to Athens, Marinka Limat is collecting encounters. Involving people she never met before. Certain encounters do not work, others are missed, and sometimes avoiding an encounter is the better option. Learning from the in between, the artist is unfolding her practise of encountering in front of our eyes.

The Pigeon Fanciers | United Kingdom | 2023 | 07’
Directors: Dan Fossey, James Sharpe
Synopsis: Short cinematic documentary that offers a window into the world of a group of East London pigeon racers and the community that surrounds them.

THE TINSMITH | Turkey | 2023 | 11’
Director: Havva Okutan
Writer: Havva Okutan
Producers: Şefika Okutan, Mehmet Ali Aksoy
Cast: Recep Öztekin, Attila Erden
Synopsis: Recep Öztekin, who lives in Antalya Elmalı, continues her family profession, tinsmith. Sharing his experiences on how master Recep mastered the profession he learned from his grandfather and father over time, and how he continues his profession today, after the interest in tinsmithing decreased. It tells about the advantages of the family’s shop in Elmalı, the future of the profession with the development of technology, its problems, and the lack of a person who will do the profession after her.

True Places Never Are | United Kingdom | 2023 | 23’
Director: Jeff Young
Writer: Jeff Young
Producer: Jeff Young
Synopsis: Every year, migrating birds must brave the steely passage of the North Sea—the final stretch between their winter homes in the south and nesting grounds to the north. Amidst the roiling waves, only one sanctuary offers rest for feathered pilgrims: the island of Helgoland. Scientists now believe that songbirds, already expert navigators by any stretch, are using a delicate and mysterious method to chart their courses, based on a science that upends many of our assumptions about reality. In 1925 a young physicist glimpsed the seed of this science, now known as quantum mechanics, on Helgoland—and the world has never been the same. True Places Never Are follows three journeys into the unknown as they all converge on one lonely corner of the planet. Everyone comes to Helgoland to find something. What are you looking for?

One More Song: Love Letters to DIY | Canada | 2023 | 18’
Director: Vanessa Gloux
Writer: Vanessa Gloux, Egin Kongoli
Producer: Kirsten White
Synopsis: “ONE MORE SONG” is a short documentary exploring the vibrant and resilient DIY music community through the experiences of show goers, promoters and musicians.

Against the Silence | Germany | 2023 | 16’
Director: Martina Chamrad
Writer: Martina Chamrad
Producers: Melda Ahmetoglou, Franziska Heinemann
Synopsis: The documentary “Against The Silence” focuses on the Uyghur community in exile. After the tightening of Chinese measures after 2015 in Xinjang, most Uyghur*ins in exile no longer have any contact with their families in Eastern Turkistan. They do not know if they are alive, dead or imprisoned. This is also the case for the main protagonist Gülzire, who has been fighting for years from her exile in Munich for a sign of life from her sister Gülgine. Her everyday life is thus a difficult balancing act between fighting and letting go, waiting and starting over, between remembering and forgetting.

Experimental Short – Official Selection – July 2023

…Or to Be | Czech Republic | 2021 | 15’
Director: Stéphanie Nyota N´Duhirahe
Writers: Stéphanie Nyota N´Duhirahe, Jean Gaudin, Markéta Stránská
Producers: Srdcem zapsaný spolek, z.s.
Cast: Jean Gaudin, Markéta Stránská
Synopsis: The stories of non-meeting. Two people trapped in a triangle of emptiness, fear and loneliness. Dance video as a story of life, as an object. Performers in a dialog with space, sound, light and paper. Both the dance video and the video installation …Or to Be evolves, shapes and naturally transforms one of the main topics of the piece – space in a dialog with characters, light and sound which are understood as an equal partner in creation. Thanks to that finds a spectator himself in an unusual and unexpected spatial contexts and perceptions.
The original duet is the result of two “solos” of the dance piece involving another area of the dance video as an object. Presents two people trapped in a triangle of emptiness, fear and loneliness. Two characters transformed as the natural culmination of the original piece into a triangle of space-sound-lights. A caricature of near misses, it is an urgent commentary on our inability to abandon routine stereotypes, relax into hysteria and get at least a little bit closer to one another. Two characters, each unaware of the other, are connected only by the spectator who sees them together. The audience witnesses this non-meeting, imagining what would transpire if the characters caught sight of one another. The production offers an original take on the oppressive emptiness of the present, experienced against a backdrop of ceaseless communication and the endless accumulation of experiences. The installation consists of two separate videos which are being simultaneously projected either opposite or next to each other. A spectator experiences two separate stories of non-meeting in one space/room.

Whodunit | India | 2023 | 07’
Director: Aditya Nair
Writers: Kunal Kampani, Aditya Nair
Producer: Kunal Kampani
Cast: Jaswant Singh Kushawaha, Ramesh Chandane, Mahesh Motilal Verma, Abhay Shankar Dubey, Abhishekk Khannaa, Dhiraj Yadav
Synopsis: Six struggling actors, one role, a fish recipe , a murder and a board game. Is it an advertisement or did it really happen?

The Foam | United States | 2022 | 05’
Director: Shanshan Zhang
Writer: Shanshan Zhang
Producer: Shanshan Zhang
Cast: Sihan Xu
Synopsis: The Foam is a 16mm black-and-white experimental short film. On a warm summer afternoon, she sits alone by the street with two cups of coffee. In a fleeting glance, particles of desire converge into the perfect lover, and small thoughts transform into murmurs in her mind. She wanders between lucidity and indulgence, reality and fantasy, between beginning and ending, gaining and losing. But all the illusions are broken as she meets gaze with the foam head. Only hollow eyes reflect her lonely self. Running and searching get nothing but chaos. She can only draw eyes to meet the gaze of this amalgamation of fantasy, draw lips to smile in her room but cannot give a soul to accompany. When it all ends, the foam disintegrates into tiny dust, Absorbed by her mind and replayed intermittently. Once insignificant movements and moments, the shattered sound is magnified into a deafening roar. The love that once blossomed shatters in the face of sacrifice. Turning away, she falls back into the cycle of solitude once again.

This Is Not a Drill | United States | 2023 | 16’
Director: Hannah Whisenant
Synopsis: A personal experimental documentary where I process a recent diagnosis and talk to my sister about hers. Together, we discuss past experiences, regrets, and misfortunes while also acknowledging how our chronic illnesses make us better humans.

Cosmic Latte | Switzerland | 2023 | 08’
Director: Alan Koprivec
Writer: Alan Koprivec
Producer: Alan Koprivec
Cast: Massimiliano Zampetti
Synopsis: Swiss youth unfolded

Mini Short – Official Selection – July 2023

Real Love Baby | Netherlands | 2023 | 03’
Director: Tim Gersen
Producers: Jeffrey de Angst, Jeffrey de Angst, Geertje Hadderingh
Cast: Jill Tjin, Tim Oortman, Jeroen Kamphorst, Debbie Korte-Hensing, Geerten Harmens
Synopsis: In this short film, a couple is going through the miraculous process of giving birth, but what they bring into the world is not what they expected. This slightly dark comedy uses a unexpected metaphor to comment on materialism.

The story of the guitar with only one string | Germany | 2023 | 02’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producer: Jan Čapar
Synopsis: In a stagnant, sleepy town devoid of life and music a curious boy finds a guitar with only one string. Its sound reaches every corner of his city, hits different residents and might make a difference.

Tribute To Freedom | Austria | 2023 | 01’
Directors: Charlotte Wendt, Philipp Silbernagl
Writer: Charlotte Wendt
Cast: Laura Philipp
Synopsis: Human needs are paramount in our world. Other living beings have to suffer time and again because of our actions, especially animals. Under the guise of supposed education and the exercise of species protection, it is legitimized that animals are often torturously put into glass boxes in a very confined space. Above all, animals want to follow their instincts and be able to decide what they do and where they go. They can only do that in their natural habitat, which we take away from them for our personal pleasure.

THE FALLEN | United States | 2022 | 02’
Director: Sinew Zhang
Producer: Liam Young
Synopsis: THE FALLEN is a mesmerizing and ethereal real-time short short film that transports us to a breathtaking post-apocalyptic world. We witness the awakening of a city constructed within the bones of a long-forgotten creature, where nothing is quite as it seems, and danger lurks around every corner. Against this backdrop, a young girl becomes immersed in the chaos and sets out to chase the creatures, leading her on a journey of discovery and danger.

Music Video – Official Selection – July 2023

Hall 4 | France | 2023 | 04’
Director: Pauline Moreau
Writer: Bertille Rétif
Producers: Pauline Moreau, Dominique Moreau, Frédérique Delarue
Cast: Padrig Vion, Olivia N’Ganga, René Bergier
Synopsis: When we look at ourselves for too long, when we analyze everything we do and who we are, it is common to get lost along the way. This is how Narcissus got swallowed by this contemplation. To avoid drowning, he must detach himself from his reflection and reclaim what really makes sense, his lost loves, his dreams, but above all, find himself.

Orange pants | Germany | 2023 | 04’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producers: Jan Čapar, Mike Janipka
Synopsis: The stop motion music video for the title “us two in orange pants” (german: Wir zwei in organenen Hosen) by the german singer and musician Mike Janipka describes the spiritual kinship and unequal friendship between a father and his son, tells of the lightness of summer, of childhood adventures and the joy of discovering new worlds. It’s a story full of spontaneity and love during an exciting journey full of inner and outer adventures that blur the lines between reality and fantasy while never taking them too serious.

Ciecho (by KAYLO) | Poland | 2022 |05’
Directors: Pawel Stokajlo, Piotr Smolenski
Writer: Pawel Stokajlo
Producer: Pawel Stokajlo
Cast: Pawel Stokajlo, Wiktoria Raszyńska, Krzysztof Kassowski, Grzegorz Halama, Norbert Gradowski, Yared Kenne Woyesa, Jerzy Gradowski, Marcin Wojcik
Synopsis: “Ciecho” is a first KAYLO’s satire song that revolves around the legendary Polish town of Ciechocinek. The town, known for its sanatoriums and attractions catering to tourists seeking an active holiday, holds a unique charm. According to legend, it becomes a place where older sanatorium patients seek new love. The city is filled with dance venues, where they gather in hopes of finding love. The story focuses on a local Casanova named “Ciecho,” a nickname derived from “Ciacho” (hunky) and “Ciechocinek.” He frequents the local disco called “San Atorium” (a play on the word “sanatorium”) to pursue potential romantic interests. At the disco, he catches the attention of a cloakroom girl who also embraces the “hunting” atmosphere, trying to win Ciecho’s heart. Unfortunately, both of their attempts at romance prove unsuccessful. The music video represents the characters’ souls rather than their physical appearances. It walks a fine line between classiness and shoddiness, humor and ridiculousness. The video cleverly incorporates funny elements, such as the name of the disco, the split word “San Atorium,” and the presence of a famous singer nicknamed KASA at the cash desk. The security guard is portrayed by a renowned Polish stand-up comedian, adding to the satire of the script. The DJ in the video is an actual 70-year-old resident of Ciechocinek, who inspired the main character’s style. Several details in the video add to the comedic effect and cultural references. The telephone number written by the cloakroom girls, 534 69 247, can be humorously translated to SEX 69 24/7. The main character pays with counterfeit 9 Polish Zloty notes, intended to feature the face of famous footballer Robert Lewandowski (nicknamed LEWY which also happens to be a slang word for counterfeit), but the permission was withdrawn, leading to a change in the scene. The scene with two hats was created to address a script flaw, as Ciecho needed to leave something in the cloakroom but still wear a hat on the dance floor. The overall video exudes an 80s vibe, with vibrant lights and a variety of dance styles, aiming to evoke nostalgic memories for older viewers while captivating younger audiences in a timeless world of disco.

Fauxtography |United States | 2023 | 04’
Director: Pamela Ruth Maurer
Writers: Pamela Maurer, Nick Barnett
Cast: Marites Valesquez, Kyla Denham, Nick Barnett, Sarah Braunstein
Synopsis: Ovef Ow (Chicago Based New Wave Art Punk band)

Affentanz – Hunter | Germany | 2023 | 10’
Director: CYPRIAN HERCKA
Writer: CYPRIAN HERCKA
Producers: CYPRIAN HERCKA, MARTIN HILLEBRAND
Cast: FRITZ FENNE, THOMAS BRANDLMEIER
Synopsis: The name of the song says it all: The hunter on the prowl. A deer in a scope. A finger on the trigger. But then – a crack. A smack from a faceless hooded figure. A knock out and darkness. From there everything will be different. Deep in the forest: After an indefinite time, the hunter woke up. But not only does he not know what happened – he is completely naked. Frightened and confused, he stumbles through the forest until he meets another man. He too – naked. And while both are still laughing hysterically about their situation, a shot interrupts her laughter, blood splatters and the real hunt begins. But who the faceless hunters really are and why they hunt, we only find out at the very end. And the resolution is certainly not what you would expect.

No/Low Budget – Official Selection – July 2023

Men Grieving | United States | 2023 | 14’
Director: Adam Peltier
Writer: Adam Peltier
Producers: Lucas Brahme, Connor Linnerooth, Adam Peltier
Cast: Adam Peltier, Lucas Brahme, Amanda Montell
Synopsis: Two men. Too many emotions. Sitting in a waiting room, Harrison and Percy confront their emotions and each other as they attempt to fill out paperwork for an experimental drug that might have the power to take their grief away…forever. “Men Grieving is an uproarious colonoscopy of male one-upmanship. One surgically crafted and hysterical excavation of bravado, grief and time. It was savage, mordant, and pure cinema as if Malick, Mamet and South Park get into a surreal car accident.” – Mark Pellington (Director of Going All The Way and I Melt With You)

THE HUNTER | Canada | 2023 | 08’
Director: Donavan Richard
Writer: Donavan Richard
Producer: Donavan Richard
Cast: Bruno Poitras, Clara Cloutier
Synopsis: When the rabbit has its own story, the story will no longer be written by the hunter.

Mille | France | 07’
Directors: Arnaud de Grandry, Cédric Fleury
Writers: Arnaud de Grandry, Cédric Fleury
Producers: Arnaud de Grandry, Cédric Fleury
Cast: Arnaud de Grandry, Cédric Fleury
Synopsis: The story of two cousins who meet at 27 to fulfill their childhood dreams.

3 Hours Per Frame: Creating Of Wood | United States | 15’
Director: Morgan Jones
Producer: Morgan Jones
Cast: Owen Klatte
Synopsis: Old and forgotten animation techniques put to use to create a celebrated stop-cut animation. The animator, is none other than Owen Klatte, who debuted his craft with the Gumby episodes, then went on to many famous films, including James and the Giant Peach, and Nightmare Before Christmas. You will experience his process up to the riveting moment when he shoots the last shot!

Sanctuary | United Kingdom | 2022 |09’
Director: Dennis Mabry
Writers: Dennis Mabry, Victoria Collinge
Producer: Scott Feast
Cast: Matt Milne, Stephanie Slater
Synopsis: A vicar is forced to confront growing doubts after failing to console a grieving widow.

The First Gardener | Germany | 2022 | 20’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producer: Jan Čapar
Synopsis: – The search for food and shelter of a lonely girl in a dystopian and broken world quickly turns into a journey of self-discovery and transformation as she notices that she is part of the unwelcoming world she struggles with. – A lonely girl runs away from her unloving home and begins her search for food and shelter in an unwelcoming and dystopian world. During her search she faces nothing but rejection and indifference from its self-centered inhabitants which live isolated from each other. In her fearful interactions with the world she realizes that she is part of the problem and that in order to connect she has to overcome her own fears to be able to open up her heart and give the world that which she herself seeks.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – July 2023

One Cheese Pizza, Please | United States | 2022 | 07’
Directors: James Gross, Harrison Pogue
Writer: James Gross
Producer: Taylor Nisbet
Cast: Dominique Scragg, Alyssa Abraham, Chris Consaul, Andrew Vessels, Zack Watson, Mark Denny, Rosario Viggiano
Synopsis: A woman is picking up a pizza order for a friend, but inexplicably cannot get across the street.

The Date | Georgia | 2023 | 14’
Director: Levan Birkadze
Writer: Levan Birkadze
Producer: Levan Birkadze
Cast: Giorgi Dzagania, Tatia Kuratishvili
Synopsis: A boy goes to a sketchy neighborhood to have sex with a girl, however the overprotective and controlling neighbors don’t take it well.

Short Dance/Musical – Official Selection – July 2023

UNVEILED | Netherlands | 2023 | 03’
Director: Fynn Isar Roovers
Writer: Fynn Isar Roovers
Producers: Isabelle Joanna Ona Nelson, Cliff Brody
Cast: Isabelle Joanna Ona Nelson
Synopsis: “UNVEILED” is a mesmerizing dance film that follows a young woman as she runs through the woods, through her movements, she faces or flees from her fears, blurring reality and imagination. The film is accompanied by an original sound score of contemporary violin and cello music, enhancing the experience with haunting melodies and rhythms.

ALOW | Germany | 2022 | 29’
Director: Tanja Bombach
Producers: Tanja Bombach, Mia Alvizuri Sommerfeld
Cast: June, Nina Burkhardt, Yvonne Sembene, Lena Kilchitskaya, Phoenix Chase-Meares, Susanne Engbo Andersen, Peer Liening-Ewert, Camille Jackson, Alistair Wroe, Yi-Wei Tien
Synopsis: A hallucinatory, underground and dream-like night walk where three different escapist scenarios are taking place. Reflections on a state of mind of pervasive anxiety, loss of control and trepidation luring under the surface translated through movement, disguise and surroundings.

Le Portrait | France | 2022 | 02’
Director: Elisa Vigroux
Writer: Elisa Vigroux
Producer: Arthur Dupuy
Cast: Muriel Buosi, Alexandre Ordas
Synopsis: “She”and “He” will change eras thanks to dance. The two perfumes will take them on an olfactory across time.

Short Drama – Official Selection – July 2023

GABRIELA | United States | 2023 | 16’
Director: Evelyn Lorena
Writer: Evelyn Lorena
Producer: Maris Lidaka
Cast: Evelyn Lorena, Maria Telon, Viktor White
Synopsis: Logline: A young undocumented Guatemalan woman dreams of joining a Country Club swim team in the American South. Film Synopsis: It’s the summer after high-school graduation and Gabriela, a young undocumented Guatemalan woman, pursues her dream of swimming for an illustrious Country Club swim team. Despite her single-minded determination, she is soon confronted with her over-protective mother’s fears, limitations on her economic and legal status, and her own self-judgment. As she attempts to find a way around the systems that exclude her, Gabriela is propelled on a journey towards self-acceptance. Gabriela is a quiet and poetic coming-of-age story that explores themes of identity and class differences in the American South.

4.5 Stars | Australia | 2023 |09’
Director: Charlie Baz
Writer: Charlie Baz
Producers: Dominic Graves, Tallen Hall
Cast: Chris Baz, Elizabeth Mahoney
Synopsis: James, a sleepless ride share driver, reflects on his night of obnoxious passengers and one unique young woman who indirectly reminds him why he does this job in the first place.

ACROSS THE OCEAN | United Kingdom | 2023 | 16’
Director: Peter Webber
Writer: Franziska Morai
Producer: Martin Serene
Cast: Franziska Morai, Luka Krenek, Ajay Chhabra, Sarah Jane Dias, Amina Zia
Synopsis: ‘Across the Ocean’ centres around a young mother whose son vanishes whilst grocery shopping, confronting her with the deeper truth behind his disappearance when a police investigation follows the clues of the lost child.

Sanctuary | United Kingdom | 2022 | 09’
Director: Dennis Mabry
Writers: Dennis Mabry, Victoria Collinge
Producer: Scott Feast
Cast: Matt Milne, Stephanie Slater
Synopsis: A vicar is forced to confront growing doubts after failing to console a grieving widow.

Short Thriller/Mystery – Official Selection – July 2023

Stage Fright | Sweden | 2023 | 11’
Director: Per Lindberg
Writer: Per Lindberg
Producer: Bizz Sjöblom
Cast: Maya Lindh, Alva Trané, Manell Bane
Synopsis: The director, a grounded mother figure, spends the day supporting and comforting the troubled youngsters in the children’s theater group that she leads. But when she is left alone at the theater in the evening, she is forced to challenge her own fears.

KOROMYSLO | Russian Federation | 2023 | 12’
Director: Arseniy Seroka
Writer: Arseniy Seroka
Producer: Ragif Konshin
Cast: Roman Ageev, Dmitry Lugovkin, Eduard Gursky
Synopsis: The Killer, in a fit of anger, beats his victim to death, but important information dies along with the victim. For help, he calls the Doctor – his smart, but strange partner. Everything seems to be going as usual, until the partners start arguing about God and his purpose…

SAARNA | Finland | 2023 | 11’
Director: Akseli Koskinen
Writers: Akseli Koskinen, Miia Tikkanen
Producers: Tuuli Lounela, Kaisa Ottelin
Cast: Johan Savola, Mico Sievänen, Vira Alhoniemi, Pekka Louhimo
Synopsis: Hannes, who serves as the liturgist of the mass, gives a sermon that deals with the school bullying he witnessed. Hannes’ friend Olli was bullied throughout his school years. Hannes still feels guilty about this, and cannot let go.

Stop-Motion/Time-Lapse – Official Selection – July 2023

They The People | United States | 2022 | 03’
Synopsis: Symbols are often born with intended messages or ideals, but their most enduring associations accumulate over time. Symbols are not content, but are instead vessels in which content is stored by societies. As the celebrated American identity designer Paul Rand once stated: “It is only by association…that a logo [symbol] takes on any real meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes.” Meanings come and go. They amass in rich, messy, complicated, diverse, beautiful layers. Accumulated meanings can be contradictory and problematic. Symbols can be tarnished by misuse, replacing associations of pride and unity with embarrassment, shame, and fear. Symbols inevitably come to represent lived realities rather than lofty ideals. This work may be presented with vertical or horizontal orientation

Everted Sanctuaries V | United States | 2018 | 06’
Director: Ryan D Lewis
Synopsis: Everted Sanctuaries V communicates about the complex needs of introverts. Introversion is explored through object transformation, kinetic sculpture, material, and sound. Transformed objects become metaphors to exhibit the often uncomfortable process of becoming uncharacteristically extroverted. Everted Sanctuaries IV may be presented as either a single channel work on a single horizontal screen or as a dual channel work on two vertical screens.

Everted Sanctuaries VII | United States | 05’
Director: Ryan Lewis
Synopsis: Everted Sanctuaries VII communicates about the complex needs of introverts. Introversion is explored through object transformation, kinetic sculpture, material, and sound. Transformed objects become metaphors to exhibit the often uncomfortable process of becoming uncharacteristically extroverted. Everted Sanctuaries VII may be presented as either a single channel work on a single horizontal screen or as a dual channel work on two vertical screens.

The First Gardener | Germany | 2022 | 20’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producer: Jan Čapar
Synopsis: – The search for food and shelter of a lonely girl in a dystopian and broken world quickly turns into a journey of self-discovery and transformation as she notices that she is part of the unwelcoming world she struggles with. – A lonely girl runs away from her unloving home and begins her search for food and shelter in an unwelcoming and dystopian world. During her search she faces nothing but rejection and indifference from its self-centered inhabitants which live isolated from each other. In her fearful interactions with the world she realizes that she is part of the problem and that in order to connect she has to overcome her own fears to be able to open up her heart and give the world that which she herself seeks.

Fox child | Germany | 2021 | 13’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producers: Jan Čapar, Maud Heyne, Jansen Čapar
Synopsis: – “Fox child” tells a story about acceptance and healing facing a congenital illness. – “Fox child” tells the story of a young girl living with tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder resulting in “tics” – seemingly involuntary twitches and movements as well as tic-like vocal expressions. Being different than the other kids her age she tries to gain acceptance but faces teasing and rejection on a daily basis. After a bad day, being rejected even by her mother, she meets a mysterious fox who leads her into a magical world inside of herself where she begins a journey to learn how to face and to accept her tics and how to gain back her confidence and self-love.

Student Short – Official Selection – July 2023

The Low and Mighty | Hungary | 2023 | 17’
Director: Péter Karácsony
Writer: Péter Karácsony
Producer: Mika Herzán
Cast: Feri Köles, Zsolt Trill, Tamás Keresztes, Dániel Szabó, György Gazsó
Synopsis: The leading politicians of an Eastern Hungarian village go to hunt. One of them shoots his partner accidentally, and this is where the story begins..

How to Kill A Fish | United Kingdom | 2023 | 32’
Director: Yuwei Jiang
Writer: Yuwei Jiang
Producers: Fangzhou Tong, Yang Li
Cast: XiXi, Youxuan Ren
Synopsis: What will happen when you start to kill a fish you didn’t mean to kill? Lost in the swirl of pressure and the banal desire of pursuing her dreams, a teenage girl forever lost her innocent fantasies, before ending up paying an even more unbearable cost. Who is the ultimate murderer of the fish? No one seems directly responsible, but there are no innocent bystanders.

Jeanne’s Audition | Belgium | 2023 | 17’
Director: Maarten de Bruijne
Writer: Maarten de Bruijne
Producer: Maarten de Bruijne
Cast: Chloé Larrère, Delphine Cheverry
Synopsis: Jeanne dreams of leaving her life as a farmer behind to become an actress, but her path is troubled, because she tirelessly tends to her mother, who’s battling inner demons.

Zoé | Central African Republic | 2022 | 23’
Director: Carmelle Netto
Writers: Uriel Ngbale-Sowoh, Carmelle Netto
Producer: Vicky Wackoro
Cast: Odile Messang, Fanny Ousseine, Georgia Nguenedji Kizo
Synopsis: Zoé, recently graduated, struggles to find a job. She has to work as a night watchwoman and can’t manage to find someone to babysit her daughter. As she thinks she found a decent job, she has to suffer harassment from the boss.

Sunday Kidnap | 2023 | 18’
Director: Péter Karácsony
Writers: Péter Karácsony, Jákob Ladányi Jancsó
Cast: Zsolt Nagy, Dániel Szabó, Miklós Székely B, Éva Vándor
Synopsis: A journalist takes a drone footage of a castle, which is under construction, when something unexpected happens.

Baby Steps | United States | 2023 | 21’
Director: Ana Farré Moutinho
Writer: Ana Farré Moutinho
Producer: Tina Chen
Cast: Lana Maru, Jeremy Givens, Bubu Mazibuko
Synopsis: After her latest round of IVF ends in a miscarriage, a woman must re-examine the prospect of motherhood.

Orange Petals | United States | 2023 | 15’
Director: Yisong Tang
Writer: Yisong Tang
Producer: Yisong Tang
Cast: Malena Heineman, Nathan Wang, Sonny Lee
Synopsis: A barista’s heartbreak echoed through the three people he came in contact with.

Smalltown Miss | Estonia | 2022 | 19’
Director: Alexandra Pärn
Writer: Elisabeth Madisson
Producer: Margareth Villers
Cast: Enid Leetjõe, Säde Sibul, Karmel Naudre
Synopsis: Miina has grown up in a safe home environment. That can’t be said about her best friend, Liidia. Besides having a beautiful friendship and doing normal teenage things in the Soviet smalltown, there is some darkness to be faced. Everything begins to change when Liidia becomes influenced with a new arrival to town, a woman portraying what she aspires to be. A new, better and more confident version of herself, so that she could find a way out of her unsafe environment.

Afterimage | Canada | 2023 | 08’
Directors: Robyn MacIntosh, Serin Chun
Producer: Karen Qin
Synopsis: When Bunny’s attempts to live up to the legacy of her photographer father fall flat, some unexpected guidance gives her a new outlook on her work.

LAST BIT OF LIFE | Japan | 09’
Director: Tsumugi Yagi
Synopsis: The story of dogs who were put in animal shelters for various reasons, such as being abused by their owners or traffic accidents. One of them knows the fate of being disposed of and another believes the owner will come to take it home and the other friends of the facility have lost hope of living. Animals are deprived of their right to live for selfish reasons by humans. I described such dogs at the boundary between life and death with stop motion animation and charcoal animation . I made this work in the hope that the number of such animals that end their lives in a cruel manner will decrease.

Roadkill Jamboree | United States | 2023 | 06’
Director: Meghan G Graham
Writers: Angelina Macedo, Bencio Roybal, Meghan Graham
Producer: Meghan Cheung
Cast: Vincent Walker, Brian Klem
Synopsis: Roadkill Jamboree is a stop-motion/ 2D hybrid music video about how roads and drivers affect animals, featuring music from the ska-punk band Suburban Legends. This grim yet humorous story centers around a band of five undead animals encompassing various species along Interstate Highway 5. Each animal in the band represents a different type of creature native to California while embodying different reasons why roadkill happens.

STAIN | United Kingdom | 2023 | 12’
Director: Daniel Thomson
Writer: Daniel Thomson
Producer: Tushar Chauhan
Cast: Gleb Daniels, Bronagh Fallon, Jack Holmes
Synopsis: STAIN is a psychological journey that plunges an obsessively clean janitor into the depths of his own unraveling mind. Working the night shift at a large university, he confronts a seemingly unremovable stain, triggering his descent into madness as he grapples with his haunting past.

In the bends of time | Poland | 2022 | 11’
Director: Mikołaj Janik
Writer: Mikołaj Janik
Producers: Leszek Kopeć, Jerzy Rados
Cast: Cezary Kosiński, Mikołaj Kubacki, Julia Pawlak
Synopsis: Is there a chance that the most stressful date in your life is the one you’ve never been on? Janek is getting ready to meet Weronika when his the house is visited by an unannounced guest. An unusual visit forces him to make a decision that will affect his further life, his dream love, and what the main thing – a haircut.

Bracia | United Kingdom | 2023 | 15’
Director: Carter J Clarke
Writer: Toni Mae Ball
Producer: Oliwia Garniewska
Cast: Tom Anson, Sean Rey, Nazar Gumennyy, Max Ross
Synopsis: The film ‘Bracia’ is a 1980s film based around Portsmouth which follows the story of Krzysztof, a first generation polish immigrant, who moves to the UK and befriends a group of four rowdy lads who integrate him into the English culture. At the start of the film Krzysztof finds himself in a chase between him and a shopkeeper over a rack of stolen beers, whilst the boys wait for him in the car. They eventually mange to escape the shopkeeper and hit the roads. Desperate to make the party, the boys pull over for a quick piss break and find themselves locked out the car which results them in missing the party. They set up a campfire for the night and try to peer pressure Krzysztof to come to watch the big game between England and Poland in the World Cup. Despite Krzysztof’s attempts to decline due to his work overload, he eventually gives in. Whilst at the pub Krzysztof and the shopkeeper bump into each other and confrontation arises at the game. Krzysztof is subject to many racial slurs given out by the shopkeeper, Carl overhearing the conversation decides not to intervene however after Krzysztof storms out the pub, Carl has a realisation and demands the boys to leave the game and go find Krzysztof to help him fix the car. After hours of search, they finally find him at a garage attempting to fix the car he was set to finish today. The boys awkwardly apologise and offer their help. Krzsyztof finds validation in the boys apologising to him. For the first time he feels genuinely seen and heard within the group – accepted.

A Paw Over Dark | United States | 2023 | 11’
Directors: Dorian Saisse, Marisa Molson
Producer: Judy Lung
Cast: Jake Ohlhausen
Synopsis: A washed up actor performs night after night in a grimy theater to a nearly empty audience. However, everything changes when a clueless dog jumps on stage.

Rabbit on the Moon | United States | 2023 | 05’
Director: Lezhi Yu
Synopsis: A poetic description of a child chasing an spherical object/creature. The development of the chase is like going down a rabbit hole that passes through and beyond space and time.

Against the Silence | Germany | 2023 | 16’
Director: Martina Chamrad
Writer: Martina Chamrad
Producers: Melda Ahmetoglou, Franziska Heinemann
Synopsis: The documentary “Against The Silence” focuses on the Uyghur community in exile. After the tightening of Chinese measures after 2015 in Xinjang, most Uyghur*ins in exile no longer have any contact with their families in Eastern Turkistan. They do not know if they are alive, dead or imprisoned. This is also the case for the main protagonist Gülzire, who has been fighting for years from her exile in Munich for a sign of life from her sister Gülgine. Her everyday life is thus a difficult balancing act between fighting and letting go, waiting and starting over, between remembering and forgetting.

THE FALLEN | United States | 2022 | 02’
Director: Sinew Zhang
Producer: Liam Young
Synopsis: THE FALLEN is a mesmerizing and ethereal real-time short short film that transports us to a breathtaking post-apocalyptic world. We witness the awakening of a city constructed within the bones of a long-forgotten creature, where nothing is quite as it seems, and danger lurks around every corner. Against this backdrop, a young girl becomes immersed in the chaos and sets out to chase the creatures, leading her on a journey of discovery and danger.

The First Gardener | Germany | 2022 | 20’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producer: Jan Čapar
Synopsis: – The search for food and shelter of a lonely girl in a dystopian and broken world quickly turns into a journey of self-discovery and transformation as she notices that she is part of the unwelcoming world she struggles with. – A lonely girl runs away from her unloving home and begins her search for food and shelter in an unwelcoming and dystopian world. During her search she faces nothing but rejection and indifference from its self-centered inhabitants which live isolated from each other. In her fearful interactions with the world she realizes that she is part of the problem and that in order to connect she has to overcome her own fears to be able to open up her heart and give the world that which she herself seeks.

Fox child | Germany | 2021 | 13’
Director: Jan Čapar
Writer: Jan Čapar
Producers: Jan Čapar, Maud Heyne, Jansen Čapar
Synopsis: – “Fox child” tells a story about acceptance and healing facing a congenital illness. – “Fox child” tells the story of a young girl living with tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder resulting in “tics” – seemingly involuntary twitches and movements as well as tic-like vocal expressions. Being different than the other kids her age she tries to gain acceptance but faces teasing and rejection on a daily basis. After a bad day, being rejected even by her mother, she meets a mysterious fox who leads her into a magical world inside of herself where she begins a journey to learn how to face and to accept her tics and how to gain back her confidence and self-love.

SAARNA | Finland | 2023 | 11’
Director: Akseli Koskinen
Writers: Akseli Koskinen, Miia Tikkanen
Producers: Tuuli Lounela, Kaisa Ottelin
Cast: Johan Savola, Mico Sievänen, Vira Alhoniemi, Pekka Louhimo
Synopsis: Hannes, who serves as the liturgist of the mass, gives a sermon that deals with the school bullying he witnessed. Hannes’ friend Olli was bullied throughout his school years. Hannes still feels guilty about this, and cannot let go.

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