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SHORT to the Point – March 2022 Nominees

Animation Short – Official Selection – March 2022

FACE | United Kingdom | 2021 | 03’
Director: Sophia Kyriacou
Writer: Sophia Kyriacou
Cast: Sophia Kyriacou
Synopsis: FACE is a hyper-real CGI conceptual film driven by silent thought-provoking emotion where I open a window to my Autistic world. I explore my own cultural identity opening with the Victory of Samothrace. A metaphor that even the strongest of figures within the Classical Greek world can have their wings broken. FACE also covers aspects of isolation, the feeling of not fitting in despite the ability to weave in and out of situations with chameleon like qualities. Masking is an important part of my autism but it’s also about making sense and accepting my own masking. This is seen as my alter-ego, the astronaut is confronted by their own mask. FACE also taps into experiences of bullying, being held back, being controlled, but also plays on the metaphor of thinking outside-the-box, turning a negative into something positive and powerful. The overall message is, being neurodiverse is amazing and should be celebrated. I am not an exhibit. I am not broken, but simply misunderstood.

Error 404 | United Kingdom | 2021 | 03’
Director: RUIMING WU
Writer: RUIMING WU
Producer: RUIMING WU
Synopsis: Error 404 is a short animation film about the unbalanced accessibility toward morden sci&tech, those high-tech products benefit the majority of us, but due to the existence of unbalanced accessibility, life became even harder for those people who don’t have access to it. we should never forget those people, as they have been marginalized by those things that benefit us most.

Ventanas | Spain | 2021 | 05’
Director: Mireia Matilla, Emanuel Espinoza, Mar Cebrián, Al Serrano, Lidia Rodríguez, Oriol Pérez
Producer: Mireia Matilla
Synopsis: A shy, serious boy comes up against his explosive polar opposite when he moves house. Will the boys be able to find a way to live side by side?

Shpija | Kosovo | 2022 | 07’
Director: Flaka Kokolli
Writer: Flaka Kokolli
Producer: Sahit Kokolli
Cast: Nora Jusufi
Synopsis: Home and comfort can often be found in things that shame, trap, and damage us. Leaving that home can be difficult, but having it as a poltergeist that follows you around proves to be even harder.

In The Upper Room | Austria | 2022 | 09’
Director: Alexander Gratzer
Writer: Alexander Gratzer
Producer: József FÜLÖP
Synopsis: Every season a young mole visits his blind grandfather, who lives deep underground in a comfortably decorated burrow. As the two grow older their relationship becomes more intense and important questions arise.

So it goes | Italy | 2022 | 03’
Director: Gaia Alari
Writers: Gaia Alari, Emma Ayres
Synopsis: A looping memory of a lost love between two queer people, the animation, with its minimalistic art direction uses symbols, transitions and metaphors to explore what it means to live in the closet, and to pursue a love life made of secret encounters and beautiful moments that are bound to end, from the beginning. A hand drawn traditional animation, frame by frame, 12 drawings per second (in twos) – one woman crew

Commercial/Ad/TVC– Official Selection – March 2022

‘Who’s Counting?’ | United Kingdom | 2021 | 06’
Director: Ben Lankester
Writer: Ben Lankester
Producers: Lauren Tyson, Kate Miller
Cast: Sarah Beck Mather, Tom Petty
Synopsis: ‘Who’s Counting?’ tells the story of a couple as they endure the pain and trauma of successive miscarriages.

Dungeons and Dragons: Play Your way. | United States | 2022 | 02’
Director: Taylor Garrett
Writer: Stephanie Blackham
Producers: Alex Mcbride, Savannah Butler
Cast: Jason Conforto, Amaris Glamaris, Lee Liston, Grant Holmes, Noelle Goble, Rosana Chavez, Stephen Stubbs, Whit Johnson

Documentary Short – Official Selection – March 2022

The Words Left Unspoken | United States | 2021 | 15’
Director: Katusha Jin
Producer: Katusha Jin
Cast: Becky Yeung
Synopsis: Singer Becky Yeung has struggled with depression since childhood. Raised in Hong Kong, her story of finding her voice through music highlights the challenges faced by the youth in the city. The film touches upon issues, such as mental health and feminism, weaved into the cultural fabric of Asia.

I Am Still Here | United States | 2021 | 28’
Directors: Corbin Meier, Jamie McClelland
Producers: Janelle Giovenco, Michaela Scott, Kathleen Connor, Megan Amico
Cast: Meg Martin, Cordelia Kellie
Synopsis: “You are descended from the ones who survived.” -Cordelia Kellie Cordelia and Meg are Indigenous women separated by distance, age, and experience, yet are connected by a resilience and perseverance that transcends their differences. In a country that has historically worked to erase Indigenous culture, these women each work to define their identities for themselves. Meg is 18, and is working through the uncertainty that comes with relearning her Mohawk heritage later in life. Cordelia is 31 years into her journey of relearning and is transitioning to become a teacher of her Iñupiaq heritage herself. This film urges you to look within at your own journey with culture, to believe others when they tell you their story, and to question what has been taught to you.

Common Grounds? | United States | 30’
Director: Raed Truett Gilliam
Producer: Glenn Crossman
Synopsis: In an age of hyperpolarization, the UVA Center for Politics documentary “Common Grounds?” examines the political climate on a college campus, at the Grounds of the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson. Through interviews with students from across the political spectrum, and a group dialogue between some of these students, the film asks a simple question: “Can tomorrow’s generation find common ground?”

Tanbhiti (or a consolidation of a constructed memories) | Thailand | 2022 | 17’
Director: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Writer: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Producer: Kulapat Aimmanoj
Cast: Tanbhiti Supatwanich
Synopsis: An experimental documentary about the relationship of the filmmaker and his actor since their first short film.

Visiting Ben Shemen | New Zealand | 2022 | 17’
Director: Miriam Harris
Producer: Miriam Harris
Cast: Chava Almagor, Pnina Aviram, Stella Harris
Synopsis: In 1946, three young Jewish teenagers met at the Ben Shemen school, in Palestine. Each had been traumatised by the Holocaust and World War II. These women, now in their late eighties – one of whom is the director’s mother – recount the ways in which Ben Shemen offered a healing and soul-nourishing refuge, through its humane outlook and the privileging of creativity. Mixed-media and an animated sketchbook aesthetic, together with the collaging of fragments of music and sound, accompany their retrieval of memories, and the director’s efforts to understand their experiences.

If you’re happy there, I’m happy here | Mexico | 2022 | 05’
Director: David Peinado Peinado
Producer: David Peinado Romero, Francisco Javier
Cast: Aguilera Martinez
Synopsis: Eva is a 33-year-old woman who, together with her 15-year-old daughter, undertook a trip from Honduras to the United States, they managed to reach Ciudad Juárez where they crossed the border together to later be expelled under title 42, a week later Eva took her decision to accompany her daughter to the Rio Bravo so that she turns herself in to the border patrol with the hope that she would be able to obtain asylum in the United States on her own.

Experimental Short – Official Selection – March 2022

Black Dog | Australia | 2022 | 12’
Director: Cameron Manion
Writer: Cameron Manion
Producer: Cameron Manion
Cast: Emma Jensen, Lousie Wildman, Tony Driese
Synopsis: A family deals with grief in different ways.
Out of the Folds of Women

United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Anabella Lenzu
Writer: Anabella Lenzu
Producers: Anabella Lenzu & Todd Carroll
Cast: Anabella Lenzu, Todd Carroll
Synopsis: With direction and choreography by Anabella Lenzu and videography and music by Todd Carroll, “Out of the Folds of Women” tells a personal vision of femininity, and what it means to be a woman, mother, and immigrant today. “Unfolded out of the folds of the woman Man comes unfolded, And is always to come unfolded” -Walt Whitman

Public Notice | Canada | 2021 | 04’
Director: Rouzbeh Noori
Synopsis: A story of unbounded development.

Mary | Canada | 2021 | 04’
Director: Kate Green
Writer: Kate Green
Producers: Amber Orchard, Erin Musolumm
Cast: Sara Canning, John Gillich
Synopsis: John is about to start a new life alone but before he leaves, he climbs the icy summit where he once proposed to his now ex-girlfriend Mary. At the summit he finds Mary is already there. Saying goodbye just got harder, but for John it’s a chance to say all the things that he never did.

Shadows of the World | Greece | 2021 | 20’
Director: Marios P. Papageorgiou
Writer: Marios P. Papageorgiou
Producers: Marios P. Papageorgiou, Marcel Michalaris, Weeekend Films
Cast: Nikos Kanakis, Yannis Papaioannou, Kostas Karamoussalis, Antonis Papaioannou, Manolis Destounis
Synopsis: Climate change has finally led to the complete natural destruction of the planet. Four strangers, who share only their need for survival, find refuge underground. They appear to be the only survivors. Their yearning for salvation will test their conscience. In the heart of darkness conflict seems inescapable. A film about man’s confrontation with every second to follow, until the very last.

Mermaids | France | 2021 | 15’
Director: Pierre BESSETTE
Writers: Pierre BESSETTE, Dereck Cayla
Producer: Pierre Bessette
Cast: Dereck Cayla, Victor Callens
Synopsis: On a trip to the Chilean Patagonia, two friends, dancers, head into the wide-open natural spaces, diving deep into the self. During this voyage a Selknam voice is heard, revived from time immemorial, leading to a choreographic flight, an initiatory journey, a metamorphosis.

Mini Short – Official Selection – March 2022

Wildflowers | Czech Republic | 2021 | 03’
Directors: Denisa Novakova, Mikulas Pejcha
Writer: Denisa Novakova
Cast: Anna Rehorkova, Ester Gracerova
Synopsis: Unease preserved in four apartment walls. An endeavor of creating a life at parquet floors may seem silly but point to one who has never tried. But some bridges cannot be built and at the end of the day, the best what we can do is let ourselves be carried away by the water. Open the doors we always close to concentrate, and go out. When flowers don’t bloom we never blame them, we change their environment instead. Why it should be different when it’s us not feeling good?

Listen to me! | Canada | 2021 | 02’
Director: Andréanne Poisson-Robert
Writer: Stéphane Turgeon
Cast: Stéphanie Belanger
Synopsis: A homeless woman struggling to find food goes against her worst enemy: herself!

The Forgotten Flame | Canada | 2022 | 02’
Director: Derek Lamoureux
Cast: Janice Israeloff, Michael Smith
Synopsis: “The Forgotten Flame” is a short about the caregivers who work tirelessly for their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. Caregiver burnout is often as prevalent and debilitating as the disease itself, yet rarely given the same attention and focus on how to manage it. In researching, we found that caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that is only compounded with the helpless feeling of being trapped. This film’s goal is to raise awareness and is dedicated to the caretakers of family members with dementia.

Mobile Phone Short – Official Selection – March 2022

So it goes. | United States | 2021 | 06’
Director: MJ Kielbus
Writer: MJ Kielbus
Cast: Jess Thurber, Randy Pituk, Jonaz McMillan, Toby Fitch, Renca Dunn, Michelle Mansfield-Hom
Synopsis: A long-shot short observing three separate incidents up close at home, which spiral out of control as time passes by.

CROSSED | France | 2020 | 01’
Jean-Charles Fritz
Servane Briot, Jean-Charles Fritz
Véronique Frumy, Servane Briot, Julie Jourdes
Paris. A night. Murielle, retired, goes home until she crosses paths with Julie.

Music Video – Official Selection – March 2022

All Your Words | Canada | 2022 | 03’
Director: James Xander
Writer: James Xander
Cast: Allysia Marie, Ty Javos
Synopsis: Music video for All Your Words by The Criminal Kid

NOT ALICE | Russian Federation | 2021 | 03’
Director: Anna Guseva
Producer: Taya Komarova
Synopsis: Have you ever lost yourself in your own consciousness? Have you ever felt how is it to be a guest on a parade of your own dreams, suppressed wishes, hidden emotions and tireless searches? Not Alice is an invitation for an event. It’s an enigmatic fashion story when the whole world is unraveling like an enormous machine. Protagonist A. is responsible for setting everything in that world in motion. She’s vibrant, vivacious, sexy and a bit audacious. She’s confident in her movements in this space. Her interactions with other characters are more like a tactile small talk, where A. is the center of attraction and the host of this party. Only that this party is happening in her head. Characters’ costumes made by fashion designer DOKUCHAEVA and turned into a unified picture by costume designer Anya Guseva and her team GOOSEVA KOMANDA. Every outfit was made by hand, every material, fabric, and furniture were selected with great attention to details, many of them were bought on a vintage flea markets or taken from old, completed dresses. Vibrant looks flicker like a light through a kaleidoscope. It’s not a collection in a regular sense, it is a designer’s journey through fairytales she was told in her childhood. A little bit of nostalgic grief about thing long gone but not forgotten, like mom in a red dress on her own wedding, red spotted teacup from grandma’s china, abundance of bright prints and peculiar, angled forms in parent’s wardrobe.

BUGZY MALONE x EMILE SANDE – WELCOME TO THE HOOD | United Kingdom | 2021 | 05’
Director: KC LOCKE
Producer: JOE VICKERS
Cast: BUGZY MALONE, EMILE SANDE

Across the Ocean | Republic of Korea | 2021 | 04’
Director: Michael W. Choi
Writer: Michael W. Choi
Producer: Michael W. Choi
Synopsis: Wet winds, Breathing waves, Open reef, Intimate skies, Random calmness, Ceaseless rhythm… Much like your eyes, The ocean draws me in I could drown in the deep indigo… But I’m always going to try to swim. So that I can see you Beyond the horizon… Across the Ocean… The ocean — both wild and calm, dangerous and beautiful — is made up of majesty and mystery, and it is indeed a force of nature we stood in awe. While we may appear very small to such greatness of the ocean, human endeavors and emotions can be powerful like the ocean. Beyond the horizon of the sea, we may have someone dear to one’s heart. Especially during this stressful year, it’s important to reflect on all of the kinship, blessings, and emotions you miss. So I wrote this piece of music and made this clip, dedicating it to all the people who love the ocean and miss their loved ones who may be missing you across the ocean.

Only Words | Switzerland | 2022 | 04’
Director: Serge Zehnder
Writer: Sabrina Fischer
Producers: Sabrina Fischer, Serge Zehnder
Cast: Sabrina Fischer, Alexandra Huss
Synopsis: A brief glimpse into the tug of war of two lovers, struggling to separate amidst love’s promises and impossibilities.

NEOSHIN | Germany | 2022 | 05’
Director: Sebastian Selg
Writer: Roman Schneider
Producer: Jiayan Chen
Cast: Delia Boettcher
Synopsis: After the invention of CRYONIC REALITY (CR) by EDEN Association, world leaders chose to discontinue the counting of time in 2073 and proclaimed the final year 2073X. CR is a virtual world of utopia that people can access to escape the bleak reality. To enter CR, users step into CRYPODs to freeze their bodies. Thereby, the ageing process of the human body is stopped while social life continues in the virtual world. When influencer AYUKO heads to a concert of her favourite band NEOSHIN in CR, she has no idea that a virtual virus will change her life forever.

So it goes | Italy | 2022 | 03’
Director :Gaia Alari
Producers: Gaia Alari, Emma Ayres
Synopsis: A looping memory of a lost love between two queer people, the animation, with its minimalistic art direction uses symbols, transitions and metaphors to explore what it means to live in the closet, and to pursue a love life made of secret encounters and beautiful moments that are bound to end, from the beginning. A hand drawn traditional animation, frame by frame, 12 drawings per second (in twos) – one woman crew

Narrative Short – Official Selection – March 2022

Suspect | United States | 2021 | 12’
Director: David masters
Writer: David masters
Producers: Malcolm Duncan, Fabien Colas
Cast: John Charles Nagy, Josh Futcher, Wayne Allen
Synopsis: Leon Delgado finds himself the main suspect in a mysterious investigation into crimes against the state. Can he convince the investigators that he is in fact Sonny Valentine and that they have the wrong guy.

Final Touches | Canada | 2021 | 05’
Director: Corey Malone
Writer: Corey Malone
Producers: Corey Malone, David Van Dyke, Justine Peterson
Cast: Jessamine Salas, Corey Malone, Shenadoah Adams, Adam Muxlow, Melvin Medici
Synopsis: A Make Up Artist is pushed to the edge when she has to deal with a misogynistic crew.

Positive | United States | 2022 | 17’
Director: Elise Direktor
Writer: Elise Direktor
Producers: Elise Direktor, Brianna Reis Ryan, Auriana Woods
Cast: Brianna Reis Ryan
Synopsis: Violet has writer’s block, has decided to start dating again, and on top of that, she tests positive for Herpes.

Carry Me Home – A Ferry Tale | United Kingdom | 2021 | 10’
Director: Seth Hardwick
Writers: Seth Hardwick, Viv Gee
Producer: Ailie Crerar-Blythe
Cast: MJ Deans, David Rankine, Bruce Fummey, John Kazek
Synopsis: Having found what she was looking for, Mairi takes the last ferry home and a community folds its arms around her. Hopeful and uplifting, Carry Me Home – A Ferry Tale ebbs and flows through a journey of loss, understanding and acceptance.

The Forgotten Flame | Canada | 2022 | 02’
Director: Derek Lamoureux
Cast: Janice Israeloff, Michael Smith
Synopsis: “The Forgotten Flame” is a short about the caregivers who work tirelessly for their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease. Caregiver burnout is often as prevalent and debilitating as the disease itself, yet rarely given the same attention and focus on how to manage it. In researching, we found that caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that is only compounded with the helpless feeling of being trapped. This film’s goal is to raise awareness and is dedicated to the caretakers of family members with dementia.

An Island Drifts | Singapore | 2021 | 19’
Director: Vivian Ip
Writer: Vivian Ip
Producers: Jasmine Tay, Kim Mariel
Cast: Timothy Wan, Quintus Lim
Synopsis: Set in Singapore, a young teacher presses for the truth from a maladjusted student, the act leads to devastating results and they suffer the ignominy of losing everything that matters to them. The story holds a mirror up to society, where a mistake can derail a life in an overly pressurized world.

DARK DREAMS | United States | 2022 | 03’
Director: Nicola De Prato
Producers: Nicola De Prato, Dino Sardella
Cast: Nicola De Prato
Synopsis: Cole Elliott, Sarah Polednak
Synopsis: “A tormented soul is lost chasing his dream in a deserted city. But his dream is someone else’s nightmare”

Gut Instinct | Australia | 2022 | 09’
Director: Stuart Edgeworth
Writer: Stuart Edgeworth
Producer: Alexandra Patrick-Dunn
Cast: Charlotte Friels
Synopsis: Cold, alone and time is running out…A young woman wakes to find herself waist deep in ice and cuffed in place. She doesn’t know how she got there, but she knows she needs to get out. Fast. Struggling to break free, it becomes clear that the situation she’s in is more complicated than first appears, but escape might be just within reach…

Say Cheese! | Mexico | 19’
Synopsis: A picture-perfect family of four embark on a road trip to their lake house. When tragedy strikes they are faced with a decision that will change their lives forever.

Plant Life | United Kingdom | 2021 | 10’
Director: Joshua G. R. Fletcher
Writer: Joshua G. R. Fletcher
Producers: Joshua G. R. Fletcher, Bobby D. Steere
Cast: Charlie J. Sinclair
Synopsis: A young man packs up his final belongings in the now empty flat he lived in with his ex. He’s moving the next day, but there’s just one more thing to deal with – the plant he bought her as a gift has been left behind.

Asylum | United Kingdom | 2021 | 12’
Director :Neil West
Writer: Neil West
Producer: Dan Turner
Cast: Tor Clark, Laila Alj
Synopsis: A woman risks everything to try and protect an asylum seeker in a totalitarian society in which all borders are militarized.

Frank & Emmet | United States | 2021 | 13’
Direcor: Carlos F. Puertolas
Writer: Carlos F. Puertolas
Producers: Carlos F. Puertolas, Bryan Dimas, Jonathan Coria
Cast: Paul Eiding, Brian Michael Jones, Arabella Grant
Synopsis: “Frank & Emmet” tells the story of two life-long friends and show-business partners who, after weeks of drifting apart, sit together to have a much-needed conversation. Their friendly dialogue takes a turn when they address head-on the one thing they’ve never talked about: One of them is a puppet. Starring Paul Eiding (Ben 10, The Incredibles 2), Brian Michael Jones (Mank, Muppets Most Wanted), and Arabella Grant (Fuller House, Timeless). With original music from singer-songwriter Kyler England (Grey’s Anatomy) and Emmy-nominated composer Tony Morales (Elena of Avalor, Bloodline).

The Clown’s Funeral | Japan | 2022 | 23’
Directors: Yu Shibuya, Showgo Ookawa
Writer: Yu Shibuya
Producer: Ichito Noy
Cast: Ichito Noy, Philippe Aymard
Synopsis: When his father, the former president of a funeral parlor was taken ill six months ago, the man, who as a child was forbidden to laugh, had to take his father’s place. However, recently something strange has come over the new director. Whenever he sees something funny, he hallucinates a clown.

No/Low Budget– Official Selection – March 2022

That’ll do | United Kingdom | 2022 | 05’
Director: Adam Klosowski
Writer: Adam Klosowski
Producer: Adam Klosowski
Cast: Adam Klosowski
Synopsis: An artist battles a writer’s block.

Disconnected | Canada | 09’
Director: Mariah Owen
Writer: Mariah Owen
Producer: Mariah Owen
Cast: Mariah Owen, Nahanni Johnstone
Synopsis: Rachel drops a truth bomb on her Mom over a long-distance call.

Rigor Mortis | South Africa | 2021 | 06’
Director :Samuel Pothier
Writer: Samuel Pothier
Producer: Samuel Pothier
Cast: Samuel Pothier
Synopsis: A man carries his wife’s body across the wilderness to lay her to rest in his
ancestral burial ground.

Mermaids | France | 2021 | 15’
Director: Pierre BESSETTE
Writers: Pierre BESSETTE, Dereck Cayla
Producer: Pierre Bessette
Cast: Dereck Cayla, Victor Callens
Synopsis: On a trip to the Chilean Patagonia, two friends, dancers, head into the wide-open natural spaces, diving deep into the self. During this voyage a Selknam voice is heard, revived from time immemorial, leading to a choreographic flight, an initiatory journey, a metamorphosis.

Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – March 2022

MIDNIGHT STORIES: Morgan | Australia | 2021 | 01’
Director: Ryan Cauchi
Writers: Ryan Cauchi, Nick Stathopoulos
Producer: Ryan Cauchi
Cast: Laneikka Denne, Hannah Raven, Nicole Pastor, Wayne Tunks
Synopsis: MIDNIGHT STORIES is a 1-minute anthology series for TikTok, which adapts ghost stories, creepy folklore and urban legends for a young adult audience. The pilot episode ‘Morgan’ is a modern retelling of the “Vanishing Hitchhiker” urban legend.

FANGS: ep3 Soap | Italy | 2021 | 11’
Director: Yonv Joseph
Writer: Yonv Joseph
Producer: Yonv Joseph
Cast: Jason Prempeh, Flaure B.B. Kabore, Sidy Diop
Synopsis: Snoop and Dae Dae help Miguel’s self tape reach higher and unexpected levels of absurdity.

LOST TAPES: EPISODE 1 | Ecuador | 2022 | 05
Director: Jessie James Diaz
Synopsis: Lost tapes (Talking underground) is a short documentary series filmed on the eve of thanksgiving. It features a group of people asked multiple questions regarding their current status in life.

SmallTown Outsiders | Pilot | United States | 2022 | 21’
Director: Michael Hill
Writer: Michael Hill
Producers: Michael Hill, Tracy Hill, Bobby Hill
Cast: Gabriel Hill, Spencer Yang, Peyton Eliot, Ethan Melendez, Carlos Manuel Cadena, Troy Dorsey, Mandi Lutz, Sherry Wright, Sky Bradford
Synopsis: SmallTown Outsiders is a Thriller/Sci-fi set in 1988. In this small town, a group of youth stumble upon a radio frequency which unveils a secret extra terrestrial anomaly right under their noses.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – March 2022

Sunny | Australia | 2022 | 06’
Director: Vito Leo
Writer: Vito Leo, Stephen Osborne
Cast: Zarlia Chisholm, Vito Leo
Synopsis: Obnoxious teenage girl, Sunny, plunges into a furious mission to end it all… if only her equally obnoxious imaginary friend would stop getting in the way.

Final Touches | Canada | 2021 | 05’
Director: Corey Malone
Writer: Corey Malone
Producers: Corey Malone, David Van Dyke, Justine Peterson
Cast: Jessamine Salas, Corey Malone, Shenadoah Adams, Adam Muxlow, Melvin Medici
Synopsis: A Make Up Artist is pushed to the edge when she has to deal with a misogynistic crew.

Chopsticks | China | 2022 | 08’
Directors: Fanbo Zheng, Weiyang Chen
Writers: Xinyan Qian, Weiyang Chen
Producer: Shihan Lu
Cast: Ryan Chiu, Ko Han Lai, Karen Zheng, Lydia Li, Lan Zhong
Synopsis: A man is promised a new world when his friend invites him to an authentic Asian Restaurant, where the various use of Chopsticks plays a culturally shocking role in his mind-blowing dining experience.

Short Dance/Musical – Official Selection – March 2022

Blue Delusion | China | 2022 | 15’
Writers: Fang Guan, Yue Jia Yu
Cast: Shuai En Wang, Fu Zao Zhong, Ying Man Zhang
Synopsis: Novalis’s unfinished novel Heinrich Vonnegut Von Ofterdingen expresses the longing for a meaning in life, which arises from the experience of mysterious meaning and is capable of overcoming death. The longing is seen as blue because it is associated with remoteness, just like loyalty. The color of blue is mysterious, romantic, and it is presented by the illusionary and lost Neptune, as depicted in Plato’s ideal state that symbolizes the unattainable ideal.

Toporzeł | Poland | 2019 | 09’
Director: Iwona Pasińska
Writer: Iwona Pasińska
Producers: Polski Teatr Tańca
Cast: Kacper Bożek , Jerzy Kaźmierczak, Zbigniew Kocięba , Dominik Kupka, Paweł Malicki, Michał Przybyła , Adrian Radwański
Synopsis: TOPORZEŁ Beautiful mountain landscapes, from which the figures of dancers grow, rocks, bushes, the severity of nature and its strength, everything intertwines with each other, thus emphasizing the strong bonds between nature and man. This was the set of the latest film project of the Polish Dance Theatre entitled Toporzeł. The project was inspired by sculptures by Stanisław Szukalski. In the works of this artist, who causes strong emotions, the motif of the human body appears; one can see muscle tension, movement, gesture and expression. The sculpture is made of earth, of nature, of which man is a part – this was the interpretive code of the project. The Toporzeł project could not have been created anywhere else than in the Izerskie Mountains in the “Stanisław” quartz mine in Szklarska Poręba. The Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains hide secrets, they are a place where magic mixes with reality, where the history of the legendary Mountain Spirit is still alive. The film and the accompanying album are further elements building the story of the Polish Dance Theatre. We hope that apart from the beauty and aesthetics of the presented shots, you will see the Spirit of Dance Theatre in these materials.

Mermaids | France | 2021 | 15’
Director: Pierre BESSETTE
Writers: Pierre BESSETTE, Dereck Cayla
Producer: Pierre Bessette
Cast: Dereck Cayla, Victor Callens
Synopsis: On a trip to the Chilean Patagonia, two friends, dancers, head into the wide-open natural spaces, diving deep into the self. During this voyage a Selknam voice is heard, revived from time immemorial, leading to a choreographic flight, an initiatory journey, a metamorphosis.

Short Drama – Official Selection – March 2022

Loud Enough | Romania | 2021 | 04’
Director: Casandra Rogalski
Writer: Ovidiu Cotirta
Producers: Casandra Rogalski, Ovidiu Cotirta
Cast: Matei Stefan, Andreea Samson, Tudor Morgovan, Dan Codreanu
Synopsis: A young kid finds creativity can lift him up

Frank & Emmet | United States | 2021 | 13’
Direcor: Carlos F. Puertolas
Writer: Carlos F. Puertolas
Producers: Carlos F. Puertolas, Bryan Dimas, Jonathan Coria
Cast: Paul Eiding, Brian Michael Jones, Arabella Grant
Synopsis: “Frank & Emmet” tells the story of two life-long friends and show-business partners who, after weeks of drifting apart, sit together to have a much-needed conversation. Their friendly dialogue takes a turn when they address head-on the one thing they’ve never talked about: One of them is a puppet. Starring Paul Eiding (Ben 10, The Incredibles 2), Brian Michael Jones (Mank, Muppets Most Wanted), and Arabella Grant (Fuller House, Timeless). With original music from singer-songwriter Kyler England (Grey’s Anatomy) and Emmy-nominated composer Tony Morales (Elena of Avalor, Bloodline).

Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – March 2022

Bugged | United Kingdom | 2021 | 16’
Director: Will Akbar
Writers: Will Akbar, Jude Monk McGowan
Producer: Tamara Day
Cast: Jude Monk McGowan
Synopsis: A reclusive computer programmer is offered the opportunity of a lifetime, but when his apartment becomes infested with insects he struggles with a disturbing and familiar dread, one that is escalating and threatens to derail his pursuit.

S.A.D – The Movie | Italy | 2020 | 09’
Director: GUILHERME GEHR
Writers: MATTEO DI GIOIA, LUIS FELIPE BUENO
Producers: PAOLO CERESOLI, GUILHERME GEHR
Synopsis: A kid creates space adventures with his toys. As summer break arrives, he travels with his parents to the Scottish highlands, but a storm puts his imagination to the test, and his fate will depend on it.

RELATIVITY | France | 2021 | 07’
Directors: Jules Rebuffat, Hugo Astesano, Guillaume Hulot, Loic Remy, Loic Ciaux, Benjamin Matthys
Writer: Jules Rebuffat
Producer: ArtFX
Cast: Gregory Defleur, Sophia Vesna, Thierry Caumel
Synopsis: Adams is the first astronaut to approach lightspeed. Boarding the spaceship Myriss, he experiments regularly in order to analyze how such a speed will affect living organisms until an exceptional event happens and changes everything.

Short Thriller/Mystery – Official Selection – March 2022

DARK DREAMS | United States | 2022 | 03’
Director: Nicola De Prato
Producers: Nicola De Prato, Dino Sardella
Cast: Nicola De Prato
Synopsis: Cole Elliott, Sarah Polednak
Synopsis: “A tormented soul is lost chasing his dream in a deserted city. But his dream is someone else’s nightmare”

They Don’t Come in Peace | Brazil | 2021 | 05’
Directors: Pedro Oranges, Victor Silva
Writers: Pedro Oranges, Victor Silva
Producers: Pedro Oranges, Victor Silva, João Caroli
Cast: Dante Preto, Gustavo Coelho, Teka Romualdo
Synopsis: As two brothers watch a news cast about extra terrestrial beings, the older brother uses the opportunity to make an analogy about their world being invaded by unwelcome visitors.

Stop-Motion/Time-Lapse – Official Selection – March 2022

Into The Mountains | Greece | 2022 | 05’
Director: Christopher Anagnostopoulos
Synopsis: A short non-narrative, experimental timelapse documentary film, capturing the beauty of the mountains of Epirus, Greece.

Engage Earth | United States | 2021 | 02’
Director: YIJUN WANG
Synopsis: Animation piece developed for Engage Earth, a short documentary that takes a look inside Brazilian artist, Denise Milan and her long ongoing work with stones leading to an impactful art program in Heliópolis, one of the largest favelas in the Americas located outside of Sao Paulo. The crystal structure was used as inspiration for the animation. The graphics produce a kaleidoscope, mystical, and delightful impression by constantly overlaying and gathering changes. With a core symmetrical image as the major topic, the images vary from simple to complicated and back to simple, expressing a condition of things from rising to fall and everything repeating itself. The audience gets involved in the entire transformation anew thanks to the graphics and audio. It allows viewers to form an emotional connection with the video and feel the power of nature.

Student Short – Official Selection – March 2022

Occult | China | 2020 | 13’
Directors: Xiaorui Yu, Yixuan Cai
Writer: Xiaorui Yu
Producer: Zihao Yan
Cast: Yi Shi, Xingzhen Zhu, ZiFeng Zhu
Synopsis: A kid from a drug cult is arrested. His dad tries to save him from the cult leader. Who is evil? Who is innocent? Who is responsible?

+963 | Germany | 2021 | 10’
Director: Daood Alabdulaa
Writer: Daood Alabdulaa
Producer: Lara Milena Brose
Cast: Dara Lalo, Kamel Najma
Synopsis: Because of my political opinion I was arrested with many other Syrians by Syrian secret service for several months and locked under the ground from the whole outside world. Knowing by heart the phone number of the families of the other imprisoned people was my only way to let their families know that their relatives were still alive in prison. +963 is a biographical film about my own detention experience in a Syrian prison for political prisoners.

The Editor | United States | 12’
Director: Andres Monsalve
Writers: Andres Monsalve & Victor Acevedo
Producer: Victor Acevedo
Cast: Max Pratts, Krystal Millie Valdes, Mauricio Bermudez
Synopsis: A telenovela editor longing for love, finds a mysterious device that let’s him control his own fate.

THE PRINCIPLE OF FAITH | Russian Federation | 2022 | 24’
Director: Mikhail Komissarov
Writers: Mikhail Komissarov, Natalia Ivanovskaya
Producer: Mikhail Komissarov
Synopsis: How far love will take you to unite with your beloved one? Can real feelings justify betrayal? Bella and Dan prepare do a lot to change and spend one more moment together.

Recipient | United States | 2021 | 15’
Director: Di Lu
Writer: Di Lu
Producer: Jacob McClain
Cast: Haosong Yang, Tracy Ju
Synopsis: Wu Yan comes to America expecting to reunite with his wife, only to find that her death has been covered up by another woman.

Los Sueños De Los Muertos | Belgium | 2022 | 20’
Director: Christopher Jorna
Writers: Christopher Jorna, Victor Moroianu, Emma Goddard
Producer: Christopher Jorna
Cast: Ruben Francq, Eliza Moreels, Niels Nijsmans
Synopsis: A bullied man escapes reality through lucid dreaming. In these dreams, he can be whoever he wants to be, for example a lone ranger in the wild west… The city of Maastricht, Netherlands is shown in a unique way, namely as a Western.

RELATIVITY | France | 2021 | 07’
Directors: Jules Rebuffat, Hugo Astesano, Guillaume Hulot, Loic Remy, Loic Ciaux, Benjamin Matthys
Writer: Jules Rebuffat
Producer: ArtFX
Cast: Gregory Defleur, Sophia Vesna, Thierry Caumel
Synopsis: Adams is the first astronaut to approach lightspeed. Boarding the spaceship Myriss, he experiments regularly in order to analyze how such a speed will affect living organisms until an exceptional event happens and changes everything.

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